LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 





D0013SbS4'=]l 




Class JLli:!^: 

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Copyright W 



The Boys of 1812 



AND 



OTHER NAVAL HEROES 







THE BOYS 


OF 


'61; 






o 


r, Four 


Years of Fighting. 


By.C 


HARLES 


Carleton 




Coffin. Fully illustrated. 


Svo. 


Cloth. 


Gilt. 








THE B0YS 


OF 


1512 






A 


nd. Oth 


er Naval Heroes, 


I!y 


Prof. J 


Russell 




So LEY. 


Illustrated from 


origina 


1 drawi 


ngs. 


Svo. 




Cloth. 


Gilt. 








"•« * 


IN PREPARATION. 






SAIL2OR BOYS OF 


*61. 






^') 


Prof. J 


. Russell Soley. 











The Boys of 1812 



AND OTHER NAVAL HEROES 



BY 



V 



JAMES RUSSELL SOLEY 

AUTHOR OF "the BLOCKADE AND THE CRUISERS" 





BOSTON 

PUBLISHED BY ESTES AND LAURIAT 



pr«77 



Copyright, 1887, 
By Estes and Lauriat. 






SEnibcrsitg |3rcss: 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter Pagk 

I. The Beginnings of the Navy 11 

II. BiDDLE AND THE " EaNDOLPH " 28 

III. War on the Enemy's Coast '^^ 

IV. Paul Jones's Cruises 42 

V. Barry and Barney 60 

VI. Hostilities with France 85 

VII. Tripoli 104 

VIII. Impressment ■ • • • ^'^^ 

IX. The War of 1812. — The " Constitution ■' and the 

*• GUERRIERE " 15T 

X. The First Sloop Action 177 

XI. Decatur and Bainbridge 183 

XII. Captain James Lawrence 196 

XIII. The Cruise of the "Essex" 210 

XIV. Perry and Lake Erie 246 

XV. The Sloop Actions 263 

XVI. MACDOxou(iH and Lake Champlain 280 

XVII. Stew.4lRT and •• Old Ironsides " 292 

XVIII. The War with Algiers 307 

XIX. The War avith Mexico .... 31b 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 
Brig, head on Titlepage 

" The cutlass breaks at the hilt " . Frontispiece 

"Bold and hardy men who had followed the sea since they 

were boys " 16 

" He sent Colonel Glover and Mr. Palfrey in hot haste to 

raise the minute-men " 21 

ISTlCHOLAS BiDDLE 30 

He TOUCHED AT A SMALL TOWN IN IRELAND FOR SUPPLIES .... 40 

The " Drake " surrenders to the " Eanger " 47 

" The sloop was swallowed up in the seething waters "... 73 

Heaving the lead on board the frigate 81 

" Everywhere the ship- yards were busy " 91 

David Porter 95 

" It was twilight before he came up with her " 99. 

Thomas Truxtun, — from medal voted by Conoress 102 

^' Crowding on the rail with their scimetars " 109 

Commodore Edward Preble 114 

" He cut away the anchors, . . . but still the ship hung fast " 117 

"■ The lights could be seen glittering in the houses " . . . . 127 

'' The ' Philadelphia ' lights them on their way " 131 

Stephen Decatur 135 



X ILLUSTRATION'S. 

Page 

" Amox(; tiiesk was oxe sixty-four, the ' Africa ' " 161 

'- a squall of wind and rain passed over us " 167 

Captain Isaac Hull 171 

*• She lay a helpless wreck jk the trough of the sea " . . . 17o 

'• Jack Lang, a brave Amerk^an blue-jacket, leaped first " . . 179 

'-' The ships were steering to the eastward on parallel courses " 189 

James Lawrence 197 

" Along the shore, upon every hill-top and headland, people 

had gathered '" 203 

" When the ' Essex ' arrived off the island she lay to " . . 213 

Approaching the Galapagos Islands 222 

" ' We surrender,' and down came the flag " 225 

" Mostly carronades " 239 

" A SQUALL struck HER AND CARRIED AWAY HER MAIN-TOPMAST " . 241 

Oliver Hazard Perry 247 

" A single gun BOOMED FROM BaRCLAy's SHIP " 255 

" Calling away his boat, he rowed under the enemy's fire " . 259 
"The 'Pelican' was guided to hi:r by the smoke of the burn- 
ing MERCHANTMEN " 265 

Captain Lew^is Warrington 270 

" One round shot entered her aftermost port " 277 

'' On the stocks, and nearly finished, the fine frigate ' Con- 
fiance ' " 283 

Captain Charles Stewart 296 

" Accompanied by Abdallah the dragoman, I left the canal " 313 



THE BOYS OF 1812, 



OTHER NAVAL HEROES, 



CHAPTER 1. 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NAVY. 

IMPLY to defend themselves against the tyran- 
nical encroachments of the mother country 
was all that the thirteen colonies had in view 
when, in 1775, they took up arms against 
Great Britain. At this time the people hoped, 
and many of them expected, that by making 
a determined resistance they would induce 
the King and Parliament to treat them with 
fairness, and to give them their rights as English 
citizens. It was only gradually, during the summer 
and autmnn of the first year, — after the battle had been 
fought at Bunker Hill, and after Washington had been for some 
time in command of the army which was laying siege to Bos- 
ton, that they began to feel that they could make a new 
nation by themselves, and that independence was a thing that 
was worth fighting for, even tliough it cost a long and blood}' 




12 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

struggle, in which all of them would pass through bitter suffer- 
ing and many would give up their very lives. 

As we look back upon it now, it is A\onderful to think 
what a daring thing it was for tliis small and scattered people, 
living in their little towns along the seacoast from Maine to 
Georgia^ or on farms and plantations in the country, without 
an army or navy, without generals, and al)ove all without 
money, — for money is needed to carry on war more than 
almost anything else, — to have thus made up their minds to 
stand up bravely and manfully against such a power as Great 
Britain (one of the greatest in the world), with all her troops 
and ships and immense revenues. That we should have come 
out successfully from a contest so unequal seems little short 
of marvellous ; and we cannot but think that it was the liand 
of an overruling Destiny that enabled us to succeed, by giving 
us a general as skilful and prudent as Washington, statesmen 
as wise as Franklin and Jefferson and Adams, an enemy as 
indolent as Sir William Howe, and allies as powerful as our 
good friends the French. 

Still, even from the beginning the colonists had some reason 
to hope for success, at least in the war on land. They liad 
no standing army, it is true, but they were not without ex- 
perience in the business of fighting. In the Seven Years' War, 
which had come to an end only twelve years before, they 
had furnished the soldiers who filled the ranks of the English 
armies on American soil. These were the men who had fought 
the bloody battles at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and whom 
the gallant Wolfe had led on the Plains of Abraham. The 
veterans of the old war were as ready to shoulder their muskets 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NAVY. lo 

to protect themselves against the tyranny of the King as 
against the incursions of their Canadian and Indian neighbors. 
They knew something, too, of the soldiers who would be sent 
to subdue them, and what they had seen did not give them 
nuich reason to be afraid. They knew how hard it was for an 
invading army, thousands of miles away from home, marching 
through a thinly-settled country that was filled with enemies, 
to protect itself from those incessant and harassing attacks 
that wear out its strength and destroy little by little all its 
confidence and pluck. They knew that these gayly-dressed 
redcoats, who made war according to rule, would find a new 
kind of work before them among the wooded hills and valleys 
of America, where every patriot was fighting for his own home- 
stead, where every farmer was a woodsman, and where every 
woodsman was a crack shot. When that quiet but observant 
young Virginian, Major Washington, went out with Braddock 
on his expedition against Fort Duquesne, and saw how the 
gallant Colonel of the Guards insisted blindly upon following 
in the backwoods his Old World tactics, and how easily his 
regulars were defeated in consequence, he learned something 
that he never afterward forgot ; for neither Howe nor Clinton 
nor Earl Cornwallis himself was the man to teacli him a new 
lesson. 

But all this was fighting on land. At sea. the colonists had 
had no such training. The mother country, with her great 
fleets, had needed no help from them in her sea-fights, and in- 
deed was rather jealous of any attempts that they might make 
toward a colonial navy. The colonists in the old wars had 
fitted out a few privateers that harried the enemy's commerce, 



14 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

but real naval warfare was wholly unknown to them. They had 
had no ships-of-war of their own to serve in, and such of them 
as had been admitted into the Royal Navy under the King's 
commission remained in it almost to a man. 

On the ocean, therefore, the colonists were Ijadly oft", for 
Great Britain was here the worst enemy they could have. Her 
wooden walls had always been her chief reliance, and from the 
days when Drake and Howard and Raleigh defeated the Great 
Armada of Spain, they had asserted and maintained British 
supremacy at sea. During this long period of two hundred 
years the names of England's great naval captains had been a 
terror to all her enemies. There was Robert Blake, who l^eat 
off tli'e Dutch, when Tromp sailed across the channel with a 
broom at his masthead as a sign that he would sweep the 
Englifejli from the seas. There were Sir Cloudesley Shovel and 
Sir George Rooke, who worsted the French in the great battle 
of Cape La Hogue ; there was the doughty old Benbow, who. 
deserted by his captains, with his single ship kept at ])ay the 
squadron of M. Ducasse in the West Indies ; there was Bos- 
cawen, who captured the fortress at Louisburg ; Hawke and 
Anson, and finally Rodney and Howe, already famous, and des- 
tined to become yet more so in the war that was just begun. 

The fleets that these famous admirals led into action were 
composed of line-of-battle ships, — immense structures, with two, 
three, or even four a:un-decks, some of them carrving as manv 
as one hundred guns, and the smallest of them rated at sixty- 
four. After these came the fri2:ates, which had onlv one "un- 
deck, but which carried a battery on the spar-deck also. These 
were not thought of sufficient strength to be really counted 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NAVY. 15 

as a part of. the fighting force, although the largest size, the 
50-gim frigates, were sometimes taken into the line of battle. 
But generally they served as scouts or outposts for the great 
fleets, or they cruised by twos and threes in light squadrons, 
or even singly, to attack privateers or unarmed merchantmen, 
or to make a raid on unprotected coasts and seaports, or to carry 
orders to the different stations. For all these uses they were 
of great service, being generally faster than the line-of-battle 
ships, and yet carrying guns enough to make them formidable 
to all the lesser craft. After the frigates came the sloops-of- 
war, ship-sloops, and brig-sloops, as the English called them ; 
not the little boats with one mast that we are accustomed to 
call sloops, but square-rigged vessels with three or two masts, 
as the case might be, and carrying twenty guns or so. With 
all these three classes of vessels the British were well supplied, 
and the larger ships carried what at that day were heavy guns, 
18-pounders and 24-pounders. In 1775, when the war broke 
out, the Royal Navy numbered one hundred line-of-battle ships, 
one hundred and fifty frigates, and three hundred of the smaller 
vessels, and before the war ended it had two hundred and fifty 
thousand seamen in its service. 

The colonies, on the other hand, began the struggle without 
a single armed vessel afloat. They had merchantmen which 
they could fit out as privateers to cruise against the British 
merchantmen, but they had nothing that could stand up against 
a ship-of-war. Even in guns they were sadly deficient ; for 
though there were scattered here and there in the colonies a 
few 12-pounders and 9-pounders, they had to depend largely 
upon sixes and fours, which were not mucli better than popguns; 



IG 



THK BOYS OF 1812. 



while of eigliteeiis and twenty-fours they had scarcely any 
for naval use. Sailors they had. to be sure, all along the coast 

from New Eng- 
land down ; and 
especially in the 
northern part 
there were num- 
bers of bold and 
hardy men who 
had followed the 
sea since they 
were boj's. some 
in fishing-smacks 
that made long 
voyages to the 
Banks, some in 
coasters, and 
some in the large 
merchant - shi])s 
that traded at 
ports beyond the 
sea. But of what 
use are sailors 
without ships or 
guns ? Besides, 
as the Continen- 
tal Navy was slow in forming, many of the best men went into 
the army, which promised an easier life, or into the privateer 
service, which held out greater prospects of reward ; and when 




ISOLD AND HAHDY MEN WHO HAD FOLLOWKD THE SEA SINCE 
THEY WERE HOYS." 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NAVY. 17 

the navy finally got to work, it was very hard to man the 
vessels. 

In spite of all these discouragements, the leaders in the 
country boldly resolved that they would face Great Britain on 
the sea as well as on the land. They bought or built their little 
ships, fitted them out with guns and stores that were partly 
captured from the British, manned them with crews from the 
sturdy mariners along the coast, and sent them forth to war 
upon the enemy as best they might, — by capturing his trans- 
ports and storeships, by fighting his .smaller cruisers when they 
could be found alone, and sometimes even by daring raids upon 
his very coasts. Their officers were volunteers from the mer- 
chant service ; and though hardly any had ever served in ships- 
of- war, there were some amonu; them whose name and fame 
have lived to our own day, and will live forever, — Biddle and 
Manley, Paul Jones and Conyngham, Barry and Barney, and 
Wickes and Dale, — the first men to show that American naval 
officers can hold their own against any others in the world. 

The beginnings of the Continental Navy were made by Wash- 
ington. When on July 3, 1775, he took command of the array 
under the old elm-tree at Cambridge in Massachusetts, he had 
a discouraging task before him. Not only was it necessary for 
him to organize the troops and train them in the art of war, 
but they had to be supplied with arms and ammunition and 
all kinds of equipments. Not only was there a scarcity of 
money to buy these things, but the things themselves were 
hardly to be got in the colonies either for love or money. At 
the battle of Bunker Hill the patriots had retired, not because 



18 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

tlie}^ were beaten, but because their ammunition was exhausted. 
During the whole summer Washington was writing to the gov- 
ernors of the neighboring colonies, entreating them to send him 
a little powder and lead. "No quantity," he said, "•however 
small, is beneath notice." 

All this time the British, securely established in Boston, were 
receiving supplies of all kinds from England. Though they 
were three thousand miles awa}^ from home, they could get what 
they needed with more certainty than the colonists, who were 
fighting in their own country : of such im])ortance is it in war 
to have the control of the sea. Washington himself saw this, 
and he determined to dispute the control wdtli the enemy by 
sending out little vessels, just strong enough to attack the 
transports and storeships coming to Boston. So he despatched 
to the north shore, as it is called, to Beverly and vSalem and 
Marblehead. two of his trusted otficers. Colonel John Glover 
of Marblehead, and Stephen Moylan, the Muster-master-general 
of the army, to procure and fit out the vessels. Late in Octo- 
l)er the first two schooners got to sea, the " Lynch" and " Frank- 
lin," under Captain Broughton, who sailed for the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence to intercept ships bound for Quebec. Ten days later 
Moylan and Glover, l^y dint of hard work, got oft" two more 
of these diminutive cruisers. — the " Lee," under Captain John 
Manley, and the " Warren," under Captain Adams of the New 
Hampshire troops. These were also schooners, and carried each 
four 4-pounders and ten swivels, — little guns throwing a half- 
pound bullet mounted on pivots on the gunwales, just as gat- 
lings are mounted to-day. Each had fifty men, most of whom 
were drafted from the army ; but there was hardly any ainmu- 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NAVY. 19 

nition to spare for them, and it went against the grain to give 
them twenty rounds for each gun, whicli was all they carried. 

At Plymouth, also, Washington had his small navy-yard, but 
it gave him more trouljle than it was worth. The schooner 
"Harrison," under Captain Coit of Connecticut, was here, though 
she was old and weak; and a larger ship, the "Washington." 
The " Washington " was a fine brigantine, and she mounted ten 
carriage guns which had been brought by boats and w^agons 
from Bristol. But her captain, Martindale, was too ambitious, 
and wished his ship to have all the equipments of a real man- 
of-war. The general and his aides, Reed and Moylan, wdio had 
the work in charge, were sorely tried by all this useless prepa- 
ration, which delayed the vessel during the precious weeks of 
autumn, when she should have been at sea. " Shall we ever 
hear," wrote Moylan in the middle of November, " of Captain 
Martindale's departure ? " For he knew that the captain's busi- 
ness was to seize the English stores, and to let ships-of-war alone. 
Coit's schooner, also, the " Harrison," was delayed in port, and 
the sailors were troublesome. " They are soured by the severity 
of the season," wrote the agent, " and are longing for the leeks 
and onions of Connecticut." By the third week in November 
the two ships got out ; but the brigantine w^as presently captured 
by an enemy's frigate, which showed that the general's appre- 
hensions had been right from the beginning. So the navy, 
especially the Plymouth fleet, was a source of nuicli anxiety and 
discouragement to him during the month of November. 

But suddenly the tide turned, for on the 29tli of that month 
the news came from Cape Ann that the " Lee " was in, and that 
Manley had captured the brigantine " Nancy," loaded with all 



20 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

kinds of military stores. We can fancy how the general must 
liave felt as he read the invoice of her stores : two thousand 
muskets and bayonets, thirty-one tons of musket-shot, three 
tliousand round shot for 12-pounders, eight thousand fuzes, one 
liundred and fifty carcasses, — jj-reat frames for combustibles to 
set buildings on fire, — a 13-inch mortar, two G-pounders, and 
several barrels of powder, besides great quantities of other valua- 
l)le stores. No wonder he sent Colonel Glover and Mr. Palfrey 
in hot haste to the Cape to raise the minute-men from all the 
neighboring towns and land the stores, and bring them under 
escort to headquarters ! And the same day he wrote to the 
President of Congress to tell him of Manley's fine capture, and 
said : " I sincerely congratulate you, sir, on this great acquisi- 
tion ; it more than repays all that has been spent in fitting out 
the squadron." 

Manley was off to sea again in a day or two, and a week 
later he captured three more vessels, the cargoes of which were 
sold, some of them bringing a high price. For these services 
Manley was placed by Congress on the list of Continental cap- 
tains, and put in command of a frigate. His schooner, the 
" Lee," was given to Captain Waters, who cruised in her for 
several months, capturing a number of transports with troops on 
board. 

The other vessels also took their share of prizes, even the 
leaky old " Harrison " bringing in a sloop and a schooner. 
Broughton's ships, the " Lynch " and the '' Franklin," seized 
several vessels that were supposed to belong to Tories, but most 
of these were released. After their return the '' Franklin " was 
given to James Mugford, a daring Marblehead captain. This 




HE SENT COLONEL GLOA^ER AND MR. PALFREY IN HOT HASTE TO RAISE THE 

MINUTE-MEN." 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE XAVT. 23 

was ill tlie spring after the British had evacuated Boston, but 
ships laden with supplies were still coming to America. One 
of these, the " Hope," of six guns, fell in with Mugford near 
Boston, and he determined to attack her, thouQ:h an Eng;lisli 
squadron was in sight not many miles away. He had just 
boarded her, when the English captain ordered his men to 
cut the topsail-halliards, so that the ship would be delayed 
until the squadron could come up. But Mugford roared out 
that any man who carried out the order would suffer instant 
death, and no one dared to move. The prize had fifteen 
hundred barrels of powder in her hold, and it was almost hope- 
less to try to get her into the harbor by the usual channel in 
the face of the enemy's fleet. But just then the " Lee " came 
up, and Captain Waters, \ylio knew every shoal and winding- 
passage in Boston harbor, told Mugford he would carry her in 
through Shirley Gut, a narrow channel where none of the Eng- 
lish ships would dare to follow her. He made good his promise; 
for though the " Hope " did run ashore on Handkerchief Shoal, 
he got her off, and brought her with her precious cargo safely 
into Boston. 

Poor Mugford did not long survive his exploit ; for, leaving 
port a few days later by this same Shirley Gut, he too grounded, 
and while he was lying hard and fast, the boats from the 
enemy's fleet put off to capture him. There were three times 
as many men as Mugford had on board the " Franklin ; " but 
he gave them a warm reception with his muskets and such guns 
as he could bring to bear. They came alongside and prepared 
to l)oard ; but as soon as any of them put their hands upon the 
i-ail. the crew hacked them off with cutlasses. Muo^ford himself 



24 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

wa.s in the hottest of it, and as he leaned over the gunwale 
a bullet struck him in the breast. He called his first lieutenant 
and said to him, '' I am a dead man : do not give up the vessel ; 
you will be able to beat them oft"." And so he died ; but the 
enemy were driven back, with two of their boats lost, and tlie 
ship was saved. 

While General Washington was making his beginning of a 
Continental navy about Boston, aided by the Massachusetts 
people, tlie other colonies were working by themselves in the 
same direction. In Long Island Sound, on the Hudson River, 
in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays, and along the inlets of 
the southern coast, flotillas were fitted out to protect the towns 
and to prey upon the enemy's commerce. In October, 1775, the 
Continental Congress, which was then in session at Philadelphia, 
following the example of Washington, decided to have a navy 
for the general service of the colonies. With this early move- 
ment Stephen Hopkins, a delegate from Rhode Island, had much 
to do ; for Narragansett Bay with its thriving farms and planta- 
tions offered a tempting prize to the British raiders, whom the 
little colony would find it hard to keep off. There were others, 
too, who took a deep interest in the project, — above all John 
Adams, and Silas Deane of Connecticut, and Robert Morris 
of Pennsylvania. Through their efforts a beginning was made 
by purchasing two lirigs, the '' Lexington " and " Providence." 
These were followed by two larger vessels, the '' Alfred " and 
'• Columbus," carrying each about twenty 9-pounders. Then two 
more brigs were bought, the "'Andrew Doria" and the "Cabot," 
which like Washington's schooners carried only 4-pounders, 
thouci:h thov liad more of tliem. The " L(^xino;ton " went to sea 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NAVY. 25 

alone, but the others were assembled at Philadelphia in Decem- 
ber, ready to start out as the first Continental squadron. 

It was not an easy thing to select a commander for the 
new squadron, for there was hardly a man in the colonies 
who had seen any naval service. Young Nicholas Biddle, of 
Philadelphia, had Ijeen a midshipman in the Royal Navy, and 
had resigned his post to fight for his country ; but he was 
thought to be too young, though he had seen more real service 
than his fellow otficers. Finally, Hopkins's brother, Esek Hop- 
kins, an old Rhode Island sea-captain who had been made a 
brigadier-general, was chosen to command the force. His son 
John was made captain of one of the ships, and his cousin 
Abraham Whipple of another, while Hazard, who was also a 
Rhode Islander, was assigned to the •' Providence." Biddle, 
who, as it turned out, was the best of them all, was given the 
little brig "' Doria." From an obscure place in Virginia, far 
away in the country, came a letter from a young Scotchman 
named Paul Jones, who had followed the sea from his Ijoyhood 
but had finally settled in America, asking them that he might 
have a commission. Althouo-h no one knew much of him. he 
was offered one of the smaller brigs ; l^ut he preferred to go at 
first as a lieutenant, and he was placed on board the '' Alfred," 
the commodore's flagship. 

The squadron was fitted out to cruise upon the southern 
coast ; but it was frozen up for six weeks in Delaware Bay, and 
when it sailed in February, 1776, it made first for the Bahama 
Islands. It came to anchor oft" Abaco, the northernmost of the 
islands. Here the commodore learned that there was a fort, 
with many guns and a great quantity of powder, but defended 



26 THE BOY.S OF 1812. 

only by a feeble garrison, at New Providence, on the Island of 
Nassau, the same place which afterward gained such fame dur- 
ing the Rebellion as the refuge of the blockade-runners. Com- 
modore Hopkins resolved to attempt its capture, but advancing 
incautiously with his whole fleet, gave a timely warning to the 
inhabitants ; and the governor, who till that moment had not 
dreamed of the near approach of an enemy, succeeded in getting 
his powder to a place of safety. The marines were landed and 
marched to the fort, which they captured with little difficulty. 
The guns were taken, as well as all the stores except the powder, 
and the governor was carried off a prisoner. 

The squadron had now accomplished such results that Hop- 
kins thought it best to defer his operations on the southern 
coast, and made sail for home. He arrived safely in New 
London, meeting only one of the enemy's ships on the way, 
with which he had a battle ; but neither side could claim the 
victory. The captured guns were sent off to the points where 
they were needed most, and Commodore Hopkins went to Phila- 
delphia. But Congress was not very well satisfied with him, 
especially the Southern delegates, who had been promised pro- 
tection for their shores. The old commodore, too. was fussy 
and impatient, and as he stayed on in Philadelphia, everybody 
began to grow tired of him ; and finally Congress passed a 
resolution in which they announced to him, rather harshly per- 
haps, that they had no further use for his services. No doubt he 
had meant well ; Ijut he was too old to be the leader of the new- 
Continental Navy, and this is the last we shall hear of him. 

Before the squadron started on its cruise Congress had under- 
taken more ambitious measures. Thirteen frigates were ordered 



THE BEGINN1N(;S OF THE NAVY. 27 

to be built, and different places were selected where the work 
should be done, so that whatever part of the country the Brit- 
ish might overrun, some of the new ships might be finished 
and sent out. Thus the " Raleigh " was built at Portsmouth, 
the " Hancock " and " Boston '' in Massachusetts, the '' Warren " 
and " Providence " in Rhode Island, the '• Trumbull " in Con- 
necticut, and the '• Virginia " at Baltimore. Of the othej six, two 
w^ere begun at Poughkeepsie, on the Hudson, and four at Phila- 
delphia ; but the only one of the six that got to sea was the 
"• Randolph, " of Philadelphia, the others being destroyed at one 
time or another to prevent their falling into the hands of the 
enemy. More vessels were built later, and a few were bought 
in Europe ; but among them all there were no line-of^battle 
ships, and even for frigates they were not very large or strong. 
But they were the best that the colonies could get ; there was 
not money enough to build great fleets, and there were not guns 
enough to arm them. Few and small as they were, they per- 
formed their part, and no small part it was, in showing the 
King and the Parliament that the colonies were thoroughly in 
earnest in the struggle upon which they had entered, and that 
they woidd spare no labor, and would encounter any danger, 
in order to secure their independence. 




CHAPTER II. 

BIDDLE AND THE " RANDOLPH." 

HERE were two men in Hopkins's squadron who 
far excelled all the others in those qualities of 
energy, courage, and intelligence that are most 
required in a naval officer. These were Biddle, 
the captain of the " Andrew Doria," and Paul 
Jones, the lieutenant of the '• Alfred." Jones was at this time 
twenty-eight years old ; the son of a Scotch gardener, he was 
born and brought up on the shores of the Sol way Frith. iVcross 
the Frith lay the prosperous seaport of Whitehaven ; and the boy 
when twelve years old was apprenticed to a merchant of the 
place, who traded with America, and his first voyage had been 
to Virginia. At a later time he had served in a slaver ; but 
leaving this distasteful occupation, he became the master of a 
ship in the West India trade, and finally had drifted to Virginia, 
where he had made his home two years before the outbreak 
of the war. 

After the squadron returned to New London, Jones was given 
command of the brig ''Providence," and in August he set off 
on a cruise to the eastward. His ship was small, but she was 
smart and handy, and Jones was the man to make her do her 
best. Presently he fell in with two frigates of the enemy ; but 



lilDDLE AND THE "RANDOLPH." 29 

he got ciway from them after an exciting chase. A few days 
afterward, while his ship was hove to, and his crew were fish- 
ing, another English frigate came up, — the " Milford." Hastily 
calling his men to their stations, he started off to try his speed 
with the new-comer, for she was far too strong for him to attack 
or even to resist. He soon found that he could outsail her, 
which was just as good ; and shortening sail, he allowed the 
"Milford" to come up a little. Then he started ahead again, 
and so continued backing and filling, just to tease her, as it were. 
The frigate turned and gave him a broadside which fell short, 
and which he answered in derision by ordering a marine to fire 
a musket. Finally he left the '' Milford " and went on his way 
to the fishing settlements in the eastern provinces, capturing 
the enemy's merchantmen right and left, wherever he could 
find them. He raided the harbor of Canso, to the great alarm 
of the inhabitants, and broke up the fishery. Then he crossed 
over to lie Madame, where he destroyed the shipping. By this 
time his ship was so loaded down with prisoners that he was 
obliged to put about for home, where he arrived safely in Octo- 
ber, having been out six weeks and taken sixteen prizes. 

After a month in port Jones started on a second cruise. 
This time he took witli him the '' Providence " and also the 
" Alfred," — the ship of which he had been first lieutenant on 
the expedition to Nassau. Another raid was made on Canso, 
and another batch of prizes was captured. One of these, the 
" Mellish," had a cargo of clothing which was intended for the 
enemy's troops, but which was needed even more by our own 
army, at this time just beginning its winter campaign. When 
he came home from this second cruise, Jones thought he had 



8U 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



shown b}^ what he had done that he deserved a better ship, and 
Congress thought so too ; and after some little delay he was 
appointed to the new sloop-of-war " Ranger," which was build- 
ing at Portsmouth, and in which during the following year he 
entered upon a new and larger tield of operations. 

About the time 
r-v?^^-^..,.,B-?«^r%s^^ that Jones took 

command of the 
'' Providence," his 
companion in the 
squadron, Nicholas 
Biddle, was sent 
out in the brig 
•• Doria" on a cruise 
to the Banks. Bid- 
die was at this time 
twenty-five years 
old.. He v/as born 
in Philadelphia, and 
had begun life as 
a sailor before the 
mast at the age of 
fourteen. On his 
second voyage he 
was wrecked hi the West Indies, and narrowly escaped with his 
life. Afterward he went to London, and in 1770, wdien a war 
was threatened between Great Britain and Spain, he obtained 
ail appointment as midshipman in the Royal Navy under 
Captain Stirling. War did not break' out, however, and 




NICHOLAS lilDDLi;. 



lilDDLE AND THE 'RANDOLPH." :>1 

young Biddle joined the exploring expedition under Commodore 
Phipps, which sought to reach the North Pole by the way of 
Spitzbergen. On the same expedition was another youngster, 
by name Horatio Nelson, who was destined afterward to lead 
the English fleet to victory at the battles of the Nile and Traf- 
algar. After the return of Phipps's ships, Biddle left the navy 
and came home to take his part in the war tliat was now be- 
ginning. His first commission, from the Committee of Safety 
in Philadelphia, was signed by its president, Benjamin Franklin, 
and appointed him " Captain of the Provincial Armed Boat 
called the ' Franklin,' fitted out for the protection of the Prov- 
ince of Pennsylvania, and the Commerce of the River Delaware 
against all hostile enterprises, and for the defence of American 
Liberty." But when Congress formed its first squadron, under 
Commodore' Hopkins, he was transferred to the Continental 
Navy. The 'vDoria," which Biddle conmianded on the expedi- 
tion to Nassau, and which he was now to take on her first 
independent cruise, carried an armament of fourteen 4-pounders, 
which, as I have said, were little better than popguns, and of 
course unfit for fighting with a ship-of-war. Her crew numbered 
one hundred men. On her way out, the '' Doria " made three 
prizes. Oft" Newfoundland she captured two transports, with 
four hundred troops on board. Any ordinarj^ man would have 
found it a difficult task to dispose of so many prizes and pris- 
oners ; but Biddle had served in the navy, and he knew what 
discipline meant. Manning the captured ships from his crew, 
he filled their places on board the " Doria " with prisoners, and 
started to return home. On the way back, six more vessels 
were taken. These were manned in the same way. by stripping 



32 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the brig of her sailors and taking the best of tlie prisoners 
to do their work. Finally the '' Doria " arrived at Philadelphia, 
with all her prisoners and with only live men left of her origi- 
nal crew. It would have been hard to find another man in the 
service, even if it were Paul Jones himself, who could have 
kept in check such a ship's company as that. One of the prizes 
w^as wrecked, and another recaptured, but the rest got safely 
into port. 

Congress now began to realize that this young fellow of 
five-and-twenty was one of the very best officers in its employ ; 
and indeed if he had been made at the start the commander- 
in-chief of our forces afloat, instead of an old weather-beaten 
merchant captain like Hopkins, his experience and skill and 
impetuous bravery would beyond a doubt have raised tlie navy 
to the highest point of excellence of which its scanty resources 
Avere capable. He was appointed to command the '• Randoli^h," 
Avhich had lately been launched at Philadelphia. She was one 
of the best of the new ships, but she had been hurriedly Ijuilt, — 
too hurriedly, as was shown on her first cruise ; for no sooner 
had Biddle got out of sight of land than a gale sprang up, 
and all her masts went by the board. To add to his difficulties, 
he discovered a mutinous spirit in his crew, several of whom 
were prisoners who had volunteered for the cruise. This was 
promptly checked, for the captain, as we have seen. Avas not 
a man to allow insubordination ; and after rigging jury-masts 
he carried the ship safely into Cliarleston. Here she was re- 
fitted, and from here she again started on a cruise. She liad 
been out only a few days when she captured the ''' True Briton," 
a ship of twenty guns, and three West Tndiamen that formed 



BIDDLE AND THE "RANDOLPH." 33 

her convoy. The captain of the " True Briton " had been look- 
ing for the " Randolph," — at least so he said, — and as the latter 
approached him, he received her with a warm fire ; but the 
•• Randolph " only waited till she got within pistol-shot, when 
she fired a single gun, and the English captain incontinently 
struck his colors. 

Returning once more to Charleston with her prizes, tlie 
" Randolph " remained there for some time blockaded by the 
enemy's squadron. At last the State of South Carolina fitted 
out a force of vessels to raise the blockade and cruise with the 
'• Randolph " under Riddle's command. Contrary winds and 
the want of a high tide detained them for some time in Rebel- 
lion Roads, and when they got over the bar the enemy had dis- 
appeared ; so they set out in quest of Adventures. 

The squadron had cruised for more than a month in the 
Atlantic with no incident worthy of note, when on the 7th of 
March, 1778, being then to the eastward of Barbadoes, at one 
o'clock in the afternoon a large ship was seen in the distance, 
gradually approaching. By three o'clock she had come near 
enough for Biddle to make out that she was a ship-of-the-line. 
Knowing that the stranger must be an Englishman, — she proved 
to be the " Yarmouth," of sixty-four guns, — and knowing too 
that the " Randolph," even witli the support of the smaller 
ships, was no match for her powerful battery, he signalled to 
the fleet to make sail. All the ships obeyed except the '^ Gen- 
eral Moultrie." which obstinately refused to leave her place, and 
remained liove to, giving no sign of moving. This blundering 
conduct of the "Moultrie's" captain left Biddle no choice but 
to abandon his consort or to remain and fight what seemed 



34 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

to be a hopeless battle. He boldly cliose the latter course ; 
and as the " Yarmouth " ranged up on his weather quarter, 
he hoisted the American flag and opened on her with a suc- 
cession of furious broadsides, giving four to the enemy's one, 
and inflicting dangerous wounds upon her sails and rigging. 
A few minutes after the action began, Biddle received a shot 
in the thigh. As his people, alarmed, gathered around him, he 
raised himself up, telling them it was only a slight touch, and 
calling for a chair seated himself on the quarter-deck, where the 
surgeon came to dress his wound. Here he was vigorously di- 
recting the course of the battle, and in spite of the disparity 
between the two ships he was gradually getting the advantage, 
when suddenly, without a moment's warning, the magazine of 
the '■' Randolph " blew up, scattering spars, hull, guns, officers, 
and men in a mass of fragments over tlie waters. 
♦ None ever knew how the accident happened. The other 
ships, seeing the disaster, made off" as fast as they could ; Init 
the " Yarmouth " was too much disabled to follow them, and 
they made good their escape. Five days after the action the 
English ship, still cruising about the spot, came upon a floating 
piece of the ;' Randolph's " wreck, to which four of her crew 
were still clinging. They had been drifting in this way for four 
days with no sustenance except the rain-water which they had 
managed to collect. These were all the survivors of that fatal 
battle, — a battle which lost us not only a fine frigate, but, what 
was far worse, one of our best and most gallant officers. 



CHAPTER TIT. 



WAR ON THE ENEMY'S COAST. 




E have seen how the beginning of naval enterprise 
made by Washington in the summer of 1775 
was taken up and borne along by the Continen- 
tal Congress at Philadelphia, until little by little 
it had obtained a force at sea that was able to 
inflict serious loss upon the enemy. But a field 
for operations was now to be found in a new 
^?Sf^; quarter; and happily for America, their direction 

was in the hands of its wisest and most far- 
-sighted statesman. On the 7tli of December, 1776, the United 
States brig-of-war '•Reprisal" arrived at Nantes with Benjamin 
Franklin on board as a passenger, who had come over with a 
letter from Congress, naming him a commissioner to treat with 
France. The " Reprisal " was commanded by Capt. Lambert 
Wickes, a gallant naval officer who had been cruising during 
tlie summer before in the West Indies, where he had shown 
himself worthy of the people's trust. And indeed it was a 
heavy responsibility that rested with him on this voyage across 
the Atlantic ; for had his ship with its passenger been captured, 
it is hard to say what troubles would have come upon the coun- 
try, or how the Revolution would have held its own during the 



;Ui rilE F.OYS OF 1812. 

next five years. But Franklin was carried safely to his desti- 
nation ; and not only that, hut two English brigs laden with 
cargoes of wine were captured by the "Reprisal" on the voyage 
and came with her into port. It was in this way that Franklin's 
mind was turned to the benefits which his country might reap 
from ocean warfare, — above all, in the seas which English com- 
merce most frequented, — and after he arrived in Paris he lost no 
time in putting in practice what he had learned. 

At this early period, although the King of France was indif- 
ferent, if not hostile, to the American cause, the ministers and 
people warmly favored it. The friendly feeling was strength- 
ened by Franklin's coming, and his winning manners, simple and 
frank, but full of dignity, made him a favorite with all, both 
high and low. Persuaded thus by their own desires, and hy 
Franklin's strong but gentle influence, they went just as far in 
their efforts to aid the Americans as they possibly could with- 
out declaring open war against England. Large sums of money 
were given ; the departure of ships laden with arms and muni- 
tions of war was winked at ; and when Lord Stormont, the Eng- 
lish ambassador, complained of the admission of the "Reprisal" 
and her prizes into French ports, the Frenchmen gave evasive 
answers, and the vessels under one pretext or another were al- 
lowed to stay. Wickes even made a little roving cruise in the 
Bay of Biscay, from which he brought in as trophies three more 
prizes. To satisfy the English protests, he was forbidden to sell 
his prizes in the ports ; but he took them just outside the harbor, 
where he held mock sales, and thus disposed of all of them. 
These little subterfuges were continued until the conclusion of 
the treaty, which came about in the following year. 



WAR ON THE ENEMY'S COAST. 37 

In the spring after Wickes arrived, the brig " Lexington " 
came out, under Captain Johnston. Siie was the first vessel that 
had been purchased by tlie Continental Congress, and she had 
already done good service on the American coast. Johnston 
had with him as lieutenant one of the best and bravest of the 
Revolutionary officers, Richard Dale. ' Dale was at this time 
twenty years of age. Eight years before he had first gone to 
sea from his home in Virginia, and already since the beginning 
of the war he had been twice a prisoner; but the strangest part 
of his career was yet to come. 

Franklin now thought it would be wise to join together the 
''Reprisal" and the " Lexington " and the little 10-gun cutter 
'' Dolphin '' in a squadron under the command of Wickes, who 
was to make a dash around the coast of Ireland and capture or 
destroy whatever he might find. The ships sailed from Nantes 
in June, and in August they came back successful from their 
perilous enterprise. They had captured fourteen prizes. Ap- 
proaching the French coast on their return, they were discovered 
and chased by an English line-of-battle ship of seventy-four 
guns ; but by separating they succeeded in making good their 
escape, though the •' Reprisal " barely managed to get into port 
in time. 

This expedition made so great a commotion that the French 
Government found itself obliged to notice it, and ordered the 
ships to leave the territory. Accordingly they set sail on the 
voyage home ; but unhappily the " Reprisal." upon reaching the 
Banks of Newfoundland, foundered in a gale, and only one of 
the crew was saved. The "■ Lexington," soon after starting, 
fell in with the English cutter " Alert " in the Bay of Biscay. 



38 'HIE HOYS OF 1812. 

Boili ships fought gallantly for two hours ; but at length the 
'■ Lexington," which was slioi't of annnunition, had used up 
nearly all her powder and shot and made sail to get away from 
the enemy. The " Alert " had been badly cut up aloft in the 
fight ; but she speedily bent new sails and in a short time over- 
took her antagonist. Captain Johnston held out as long as there 
was any hope, firing now and then a gun, and using every scrap 
of iron he could lay his hands on for a missile ; but after he had 
fired his last charge of powder, and several of his officers had 
been killed, to prevent the useless slaughter he surrendered. 

The prisoners were carried off to Plymouth, where they were 
confined in the Mill Prison. Here the liarsh treatment and suf- 
fering's they underwent soon prompted them to devise a means 
of escape. A hole was du^ under the wall, the officers and men 
working upon it with their fingers whenever an opportunity 
offered, but making slow progress, as they could only hide the 
dirt from the excavation by carrying it in their pockets when 
they went out for exercise, and scattering it when the sentry's 
back was turned. Finally one night, wdien all was ready, they 
passed out througli the opening and escaped into the country. 

But their troubles had only just begun. The hue and cry 
was raised, and parties were sent in pursuit of the fugitives. 
Separating into twos and threes, they were barely able to elude 
pursuit. One night Dale was concealed under the hay in a barn, 
when the officers entered it in search of him. At last he reached 
London and took passage in a vessel bound to Dunkirk ; but 
before she had left the Thames she was visited by a press-gang, 
and poor Dale was seized, and when they found out who he was, 
sent back to prison. The captain, though, got safely off. 



WAR ON THE ENEMY'S COAST. o9 

This was now the fourth time that Dale had been a prisoner. 
To punish him for trying to escape, he was thrown into the black 
hole — a dungeon that was only used for the worst offenders — 
and treated with the utmost rigor. After a time he was put on 
his old footing as a prisoner of war ; but he was a reckless youth, 
and having roused the wrath of the jailers by singing" what they 
called "■ rebellious songs," he served another term in the black 
hole. At length by some means, which to his dying day he 
never would disclose, he obtained the uniform of a British officer, 
and in this disguise he walked through the gates in plain sight 
of the sentinel. Rendered more cautious by what had befallen 
him after his first escape, he laid his plans with care, and at last 
succeeded in reaching France, after a year and a half of captiv- 
ity. He came in good time; for it was just as he arrived that 
Paul Jones was setting out on his great cruise in the '• Bon 
Homme Richard," and Dale w'as made his hrst lieutenant. Here 
we shall leave him for the present. 

About the time that the '• Lexino:ton " had come out from 
America, in the spring of 1777, the commissioners at Paris, find- 
ing that they could not get more ships in France, because the 
.English made so great an outcry, bethought themselves that 
they would send a trusty agent across the channel to Dover, to 
see what he could get there. In this way they purchased secretly 
a swift English cutter, the '' Surprise," and they appointed to 
command her Gustavus Conyngham. a bold and adventurous 
officer. He started on a cruise in May from Dunkirk, and in a 
few days returned with two of the enemy's brigs, — one of them 
a mail-packet which he had captured off the coast of Holland. 
The English ambassador again protested, and the Frencli 



40 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



Government told Franklin that, though much against its will, it 
would be compelled to restore the prizes. It even went so far 
as to imprison Conyngham and his crew ; but this was only a 
make-believe, for they were shortly afterward released. 




HE TOUCHED AT A SMALL TOWN IX IRELAND FOR SUPPLIE; 



Unmoved by this event, Franklin immediately procured 
another cutter, the "• Revenge," and giving Conyngham a new 
commission, he sent him off from Dunkirk in charsje of her. The 
second cruise was even more successful than the first. Conyng- 
ham roved about with his little ship as he pleased, keeping 
carefully away from the enemy's cruisers, which vainly sought 
to catch him. and capturing prizes on all sides. These he 



WAR ON THE ENEMY'S COAST. 41 

destroyed, or sometime.s when he saw his chance sent into seaports 
on the Continent. Once during his cruise, being hard pushed 
for supplies, he touched at a small town in Ireland and bought 
tlieni. At another time when off the English coast, finding his 
vessel uuseaworthy and needing some repair, he took her into 
one of the smaller ports and rehtted there, with the help of the 
inhabitants, without being discovered. Finally, when so many 
ships were sent out in piu-suit of him that his cruising-ground 
became too hot, he made for Ferrol, in Spain, and after staying 
there awhile carried his ship safely to America. 

The cruises of Wickes and of Conyngham, with their tiny 
craft, were the beorinnino; of the great work that was to l)e taken 
up on a larger scale in the next two years by Paul Jones. The 
enterprise and hardihood of these bold captains, who carried the 
war, as it were, to the very threshold of the enemy's country, 
were not without results both in England and on the Continent. 
They showed foreign nations that the rebels in America were 
making war in truest earnest, and that they would leave no 
honorable means unused to help them in asserting independence. 
In England they spread alarm among the merchants, and the 
insurers of English ships demanded double rates; while London 
traders, rather than run the risk of losing their goods by ship- 
ping them in their own vessels, were induced to employ their 
foreign rivals to carry cargoes for them, — a thing which before 
this time had been almost unheard of. 



CHAPTER IV. 



PAUL JONES'S CRUISES. 




OMETIME in the summer of 1777 Paul Jones 
was ordered to command the sloop-of-war 
•'Ranger.' at that time nearly completed at 
Portsmouth. The officers were detailed foi- 
their ships by resolution of Congress ; and 
the same resolution that gave Jones his com- 
mand, on the 14tli day of June, is memora- 
l)le as the hrst adoption of the flag of thirteen 
stars and stripes which was carried by Jones's 
ship, and which ever since has l)een tlie national emblem. The 
young captain had hard work before him to get his ship ready 
for sea ; but at last everything was in order, and on the 1st of 
November he set sail for France. He had laid down for himself 
a clear plan of action. He knew tliat England's navy was too 
powerful to be met on the sea, but that all along the English- 
coast were unprotected seaports where the people were not look- 
ing for attack, and where a sharp and sudden blow would take 
them oil' their guard. He had hopes, too, tliat the commis- 
sioners in Paris would give him a larger ship, — perhaps two or 
three of them, — and he carried witli him a letter from the Presi- 
dent of Congress asking tliem to aid his enterprise. But in this 



TAUL JONES'S CRUISES. 43 

he was disappointed. When he arrived at Nantes he found that 
the '' Indien," a fine frigate that Franklin was having built at 
Amsterdam, was to be presented to the King of France, whose 
friendship the commissioners were anxious to obtain, that by 
this means they might bring about an alliance against Great 
15ritain. So after waiting awhile he thought it well to lose 
no more time, and on the 10th of April he started with the 
" Ranger " for a cruise in the Irish Sea. 

The undertaking was fall of danger. There was no knowing 
how large a force of ships the enemy might have stationed to 
guard the coast, fox the cruises of Wickes and Conyngham had 
given the alarm, and the British might have known that their own 
waters were no longer safe. Besides, Paul Jones was a Scotch- 
man who had lived only two years in America, though he had 
given himself heart and soul to his new country's cause, and if 
captured, especially near Kirkcudbright or Whitehaven, where 
many people knew him well, he ran a good chance of being 
hanged as a pirate and a traitor. But Jones was a man wdio 
cared nothing about danger, and a great deal about success and 
the rewards which it brings. He was never deterred for a mo- 
ment by the risk he was running, and if he thought about it at 
all, he decided that the obstinate belief of the British in their 
own invincibility would lead them to neglect preparations ; and 
for the rest he only asked to be allowed to take his chances. 
In this he proved to be right ; for although the " Ranger " had 
been lying for months at a French port, preparing for her expe- 
dition, the narrow seas had been left with no protection except 
the "Drake," — a sloop of the ''Ranger's" size, — which lay 
snugly at anchor in the harbor of Carrickfergus. 



44 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

On the fourth day out from Brest, in St. George's Channel, 
the " Ranger" made her first capture of a brigantme, which was 
burned on the spot. Three days afterward, as Jones" was near- 
ing Dublin, he took a London shi]) bound for that port, which he 
manned and sent in to Brest. Next day he moved over toward 
Whitehaven, whose port, crowded with shipping, he had known 
so well as a boy, and attempted to approach the harbor, so that 
his boats raisrht go in and destrov the vessels. The enemv had 
burned and destroyed property wherever they could on the 
American coast, and it seemed to Jones that the best way to stop 
them was to do the like on theirs. But the wind began to 
blow fiercely toward the land, and the '* Ranger " turned her 
head seaward again, to avoid the dangers of a lee shore. In the 
next two days she captured a schooner and a sloop, w^hich were 
sunk one after the other. This was small game for Jones ; and 
learning from a fishing-boat just where the " Drake " was niooied 
at Carrickfergus, he determined to run in and surprise her in the 
night. All was made ready. The decks were cleared for ac- 
tion, the lights were put out, the guns concealed, the gra])- 
nels at hand to hook on to the enemy's ship, and the boarders 
standing by with pikes and cutlasses to dash over the side. The 
" Drake " was lying with her head pointing seaward, and Jones's 
plan was to place himself athwart her cable and bring up on 
her bow. The " Ranger " came in silently but swiftly, with a 
captured fisherman to pilot her, and so approached the enemy. 
The order was given to " let go the anchor ; " but either it was 
not quickly obeyed or the anchor hung from the jamming of the 
hawser, and the " Ranger " shot by in the darkness. It was of 
no use to try again,- for a second attempt to get alongside would 



PAUl. JONES'S CRUISES. 45 

arouse suspicion ; so Jones cut liis cable and ran out, leaving his 
anchor in the -bay behind him. 

On the next night he made another trial at Whitehaven, but 
this too was a failure. The wind was so light that the ship 
could not come close in until much of the night had worn away, 
and the boats, with Jones and thirty of his men, only reached the 
outer pier at daybreak. One party, under Lieutenant Walling- 
ford, was sent to the north basin, and another to the south, to 
burn the ships there ; while Jones, with a handful of men, made 
his way into the fort, surprised the sentries, captured the little 
garrisons and spiked the guns, so that his retreat might be 
secure. When he returned to where the ships were lying, ex- 
pecting to see them in a blaze, he was distressed to find that his 
men had let their candles burn away, and there was nothing left 
to kindle the fire. At last one of the men brought a light from 
a house near by ; but by this time the people of the town had 
roused themselves, and began to move about the streets and to 
gather near the wharves. A fire started in one ship was helped 
on by a tar-barrel ; and while his men were fanning it into a 
blaze, Jones stood before them on the wharf and kept the enemy 
away. But angry crowds were now collecting, and it was time 
to be off ; so the captain manned his boats in haste, and em- 
barking, pulled away to his ship, leaving the frightened inhabi- 
tants to wonder what this strange attack at their very doors 
could mean. 

The " Ranger " now ran over to the Scotch coast, and was 
next seen off St. Mary's Isle, the country-seat of the Earl of 
Selkirk. Jones knew the spot, and he had formed the plan of 
landing with a boat's crew and carrying off the Earl, whom he 



46 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

meant to keep as a hostage in order that the prisoners taken by 
the English might have better treatment. But the Earl was not 
at home, and the men grumbled at having onl}' their trouble for 
their pains. To quiet them. Jones told the party that they 
could go back and demand the silver plate that was in the 
house. The Lady Selkirk, who, looking tVom the window of her 
house, had seen the men as they came on shore, had felt no 
alarm, thinking that they were revenue officers, or perhaps a 
press-gang ; but she was undeceived when they came back to the 
house, and she hurriedly gave them the silver tea-service, just as 
it was, on the breakfast-table. So they carried it away. It was 
a shameful thing to do, only worthy of a tramp or a marauder, 
and Jones was heartily sorry for it afterward ; so much so. 
that at the sale of the prizes he bought in all the Earl's plate 
with his own prize-money, and sent it safely biick to Lady 
Selkirk. 

The last two exploits of the '' Ranger " had alarmed the 
whole country-side ; and as she came once more in sight of the 
coast of the three kingdoms, beacon-lires could be seen burning 
on every headland. The '• Drake," too, had caught the alarm, 
and came out from Carrickfergus to capture the bold American. 
She was looking for an encounter, and Jones had no wish to dis- 
appoint her. As the enemy came out, the '"' Ranger " was kept 
stern on, which caused her to be mistaken for a. merchantman, 
and a boat put oft" from the '• Drake" to gain some information. 
The boat's crew gained more than they bargained for, for they 
were no sooner alongside tlian the "•Rano'er" took them on 
board. Then, after drawing away for a while from the land, she 
waited for her adversary to come up. There was no doubt now 




THE "drake" surrenders TO THE "RANGER 



PAUL JONES'S CHUISES. 49 

about her character, and the two ships fired their broadsides as 
soon as they had come within range. It was a running fight, 
broadside to broadside, and the two enemies were fairly matched. 
But the '' Ranger's " men were better at the guns, and their 
steady fire soon began to tell, as the people who lined the shores 
could see to their dismay. The shots rained thick and fast upon 
the "Drake," sweeping her decks, wounding her sides, and cut- 
ting wp her rigging. Her ties were shot away and the fore and 
main top-sail yards fell upon the caps. The jib hung in the 
water ahead and the ensign drooped astern. Presently the cap- 
tain received a shot in the liead. and soon afterward the first 
lieutenant fell, mortally wounded ; finally, after an hour of hot 
fighting, the " Drake " surrendered. On board the "' Ranger " 
poor Wallingford was killed, but Jones had not been touched. 
Securing his prisoners and his prize, on board of which he found 
the anchor which had been left in Carrickfergus harbor, and 
which the "Drake" had fished u]) for herself, he made sail with 
the two ships around the north of Ireland. There was little 
time to be lost, for the enemy would soon have a squadron in 
pursuit of him. Off lie went, and made his passage safely 
around the Irish coast, and on the 8th of May the " Ranger " 
and the " Drake " arrived at Brest, just four weeks after Jones 
had started. 

With the great name that Jones had gained from his success- 
ful cruis(^ he now thought, and with reason, that his friends in 
France would bestir themselves to find for him a suitable com- 
mand. He went to Paris, and received such fair promises from 
those in power, that he decided to send home the " Ranger" and 
wait abroad for the fine new ship which he expected to 



50 TIIK BOYS OF 1812. 

comniaiul. As the Frencli bad lunv openly concluded an alliance, 
they were ready to take part in any enterprise against the 
coirnnon enemy bnt they wanted to use their ships for their 
own officers, and the commissioners had no money to build 
ships on their own account. Jones went back to Brest, deter- 
mined to bide his time, and meanwhile to leave no stone un- 
turned in his elforts to secure a vessel. From Brest he wrote 
most pressing and incessant letters to every one in Paris who 
was likely to advance his scheme, — to Franklin, to M. de Sar- 
tine, the Minister of Marine, to the Prince of Nassau, and to 
Chaumont, a French official who had devoted much of his time 
and money to helping the American cause. 

About this time Lafayette came over to France in a splendid 
new frigate, the finest ship in the American Navy, which had 
been named the '* Alliance," to show how much the Americans 
valued their French friends. For the same reason the command 
of the "■ Alliance " had been given to Pierre Landais. a French 
merchant-captain. This was a serious mistake, as it was no 
great compliment to France, and Landais was as poor an officer 
as could have been selected. It was now proposed that a descent 
should be made on the English coast, with Lafayette in com- 
mand of the land forces and Jones as the leader of the fleet, 
which was to include the " Alliance " and several other vessels. 
But this plan also fell through. 

Jones was not in despair, for he never waa that, although 
he had good reason to be so now ; but he was beginning to be 
very angry. He had been told to look about in the seaports and 
select a vessel, and he had selected several ; but his letters all 
seemed to be pigeon-holed when they got to Paris. One day 



PAUL JONES'S CRUISES. 51 

he chanced to take up an old number of the '' Poor Richard's 
Almanac," which Franklin had written years before, and read 
in it these words : '• If you want a thing done, go and do it ; 
if not, send ! " Acting upon this advice he went to Paris, 
and in a few days after his arrival he was gratified by the an- 
nouncement that one of the ships he had seen was to be fitted 
out for him. 

Tlie ship was the '' Due de Duras, ' an old Indiaman ; and 
Jones w^as so grateful for the advice which had prompted him to 
go to Paris, that he had her rechristened the *•• Poor Richard," 
or " Bon Homme Richard," as they called it in French. She was 
not a first-rate ship, but she would answer the purpose, and 
Jones knew that beggars should not be choosers. The larger 
frigates of that day carried 18-pounders, but the '• Richard," as 
Ave shall call her, had only 12-pounders. Jones managed, how- 
ever, to get six 18's, which he mounted in the gun-room, cut- 
ting ports for them in the side. Besides his own ship he was to 
have four others, — the " Alliance," under Landais, and three 
smaller vessels, the '-Pallas, " "Cerf," and ''Vengeance," com- 
manded by French officers, and with crews of Frenchmen. 

The crew of the " Bon Homme Richard " was made up partly 
of Americans, many of whom w^ere exchanged prisoners, and she 
carried a considerable body of French marines. The rest of her 
people were taken from the foreign sailors of all nations and 
classes that are to be found in every seaport. Her officers were 
Americans. Of these the best was the first lieutenant, Richard 
Dale, one of the most gallant young officers that was ever borne 
upon the rolls of the American Navy, of whose career you have 
alreadv heard something in the last chapter, and who, as I told 



52 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

you thou, had made his final escape from prison just in time to 
set out in the " Richard." The commodore, as Jones was now 
called, would have heen 1)adly off if it had not been for Dale ; for 
through accidents he became short of officers on the cruise, and 
in the great battle that ended it, Dale was almost the only one 
of rank upon whom he could rely. 

The squadron sailed from Lorient on the 14th of August, 
1779. The plan was to sail to the northward along the Irish 
and Scotch coasts, thence to the east, and back by way of the 
North Sea, keeping near the shore, and so circling around the 
United Kingdom. When a few days out. at dusk one evening, 
off the Irish coast, the crew of the '-Richard's" barge, which 
was towing at the time, cut the tow-line and pulled off. The 
master, Lunt, was sent in another boat in chase, but a tliick foo; 
coming up, he was unable to rejoin tlie sliip. Next day the 
^' Cerf " went in toward the coast to find him, the others remain- 
ing meanwhile outside in the track of vessels. Lunt saw the 
" Cerf " approaching him, but as she. was flying English colors, 
he mistook her for an enemy, and made oft' to the shore, where 
he and his boat's crew were taken prisoners. The " Cerf " 
seized the opportunity to leave lier duty and go back to 
France. 

After this incident the squadron, now composed of the '' Bon 
Homme Richard," the " Alliance," the ^ Pallas." and the " Ven- 
geance," pursued its way, taking prizes and destroying them or 
sending them in. All the French captams were insubordinate, 
but Landais was the worst. Sometimes he flatly refused to 
obey the commodore's orders, and at all times he opposed and 
thwarted him as far as he dared. Still, the cruise was successful, 



PAUL JONES'S CRUISES. 53 

the squadron doubled Cape Wrath, and about the 15th of Septem- 
ber arrived off the Frith of Forth. 

Jones was now eager to accomplish some great achievement, 
for so far he had done nothing that was more noteworthy than 
his cruise in the " Ranger." As he came up the Frith, he de- 
cided to stand in toward Leith, the seaport of Edinburgh, and 
anchoring before the unprotected town, to demand a ransom of 
£200,000 as the price of sparing it. His plan was laid with 
care, and he had only to wait till night, when the '• Pallas " and 
the "■ Vengeance," which were a little behind, should join him. 
The " Alliance " at this time was away at sea, having been sepa- 
rated from the squadron. When the other ships came up, their 
captains demurred at Jones's plan, and the whole night was lost 
in tedious debate and argument. Finally the Frenchmen were 
won over to consent ; but now that morning had come, the wind 
was contrary, and for two days all the ships were working up 
the Frith. At last they had nearly reached the anchorage, 
when a furious gale came on and drove them all out to the 
North Sea, running ashore one of the prizes they had taken. 
The connnodore at first was for making a second trial ; -but when 
he found that the alarm had been g-iven in the town, and tliat 
batteries had been thrown up along the shore, and arms had 
been served out to the trade-guilds so that they might be ready 
to receive him, he reluctantly gave up the attempt. 

It was a few days after this, on the afternooon of the 23d of 
September, as the four ships were working their way gradually 
to the southward along the English coast, that Jones's opportu- 
nity at length arrived. He had just passed Flamborough Head, 
a long promontory jutting out in the North Sea, when he 



54 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

descried a sail coming out beyond the point to the northward, then 
another, and another, then more, by twos and threes, until at last 
there were fifty of them. Fifty of the enemy's merchant-vessels in 
plain sight ! It seemed ahnost too good to be true, for this was 
the great fleet of Baltic trading-ships, which it was the dearest 
wish of Jones's heart to meet. In an instant he had hoisted the 
signal to attack them ; but presently the headmost merchant- 
ships, seeing the advancing enemy, put about and made off 
under the land, followed by the others like a flock of frightened 
geese. Two of the vessels alone kept on their course, and it 
was presently discovered that these were ships of w^ar convoying 
the fleet, — the fine 18-pounder frigate '■ Serapis," just from the 
dock-yard, under Captain Pearson, and a smaller vessel, the 
'^ Countess of Scarborough." These two vessels stood gallantly 
out to sea to get between the convoy and Jones's squadron. 
Jones held on his course to meet them : but Landais, either from 
cowardice or treachery, disobeyed the commodore's signals, and 
sailing off, left him in the lurch. The '• Vengeance " being too 
small to be of any service, and the '•' Pallas " engaging the 
" Countess of Scarborough," the " Bon Homme Richard " was left 
to hght the '' Serapis " alone. 

It was seven o'clock in the evening when the first shots were 
exchanged between the two frigates, and for three hours, under 
the bright moonlight of a clear September night, the battle raged 
between them with unremitting fury. At first Jones tried to 
get into a good position across the enemy's bow ; but the " Sera- 
pis " was a much faster vessel than the " Richard," and easily 
evaded her. After manoeuvring for a time the two vessels 
got foul, and Jones with his own hands made fast the jib- 



PAUL JONES'S CRUISES. 55 

stay of the " Serapis " to his mizzen-mast. At the same tune 
the English vessel's anchor hooked m his quarter, and the " Sera- 
pis " having let go her other anchor, tlie two ships, firmly lashed 
together, swung side by side to the single cable. 

This position was nmch the best that Jones could have 
taken ; for the '' Serapis ' outsailed him, and if the ships had re- 
mained apart, she would soon have knocked him to pieces with 
her heavy battery. As it was, lier 18-pounders cleared the 
^'Richard's" lower deck, knocking all her ports into one, and 
blowing out the two sides of the ship. At the beginning of the 
battle, two of the old 18-pounders which Jones had taken care 
to mount in his gun-room burst, and the crew refused to 
have anything more to do with them. Lieutenant Dale, who 
connnanded the lower battery, fired his little 12-pounders as 
long as the men could stand to their guns, though in order to 
load them the rannners had to be run in through the enemy's 
ports, so close were the two ships. Presently word was brought 
to Dale that the ship was sinking, and he sent ,some men to man 
the pumps. Then the master-at-arms, overcome by panic, set 
loose all the prisoners, — there were more than a hundred of 
them, — and the men stationed in the magazine, seeing them 
crowding up, we're afraid to send up any more powder. But 
Dale was below again in a twinkling, and overawing the pris- 
oners, he set them to work in gangs at the pumps. When 
he returned to the gun-deck he found it almost deserted, for the 
sides were nearly all open, and the cannon-balls were passing- 
through and falling into the water beyond. Then indeed it 
seemed as if all hope was lost and the " Bon Homme Richard " 
was a beaten ship, and it would be folly to h(dd out longer. 



50 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

But all this time another tight had been going forward on 
the deck above, where Jones himself was in command. Pearson, 
seeinc; the havoc that had been made on the ij-un-deck of the 
"■ Richard," hailed the commodore to know if he surrendered ; 
but Jones, though his ship was sinking, his gun-deck riddled, his 
prisoners loose, and, worst of all, a tire had broken out near the 
magazine, sang out in answer that he " had not yet begun to fight." 
And he was as good as his word. Though the purser, who had 
charge of the battery on the quarter-deck, had been shot in the 
head, and some of the guns had been disabled, Jones had others 
moved across the deck, and pointing them himself, poured round 
after round of grape-shot upon the enemy. The French marines, 
too, with their muskets, were stationed in the tops, and taking 
steady and deliberate aim killed man after man on the spar- 
deck of the " Serapis," until Pearson was left there almost 
alone. Other marines and sailors lying out on the yard-arms 
of the "• Richard," which overhung the enemy's deck, flung 
hand-grenades through the open hatchways. Finally one of 
these struck the piles of cartridges that were lying on the 
lower deck of the '" Serapis," and caused a series of deafening 
explosions, by which twenty men Avere killed and many more 
were wounded. 

This last mischance was too much for Captain Pearson, and 
left alone and unsupported as he was on the quarter-deck, he 
surrendered, hauling down his flag with his own hands. In- 
stantly Dale, who had been with Jones during the last part of 
the battle, caught a pendant that was hanging from the main- 
yard, and swung himself over to the enemy's deck. He was 
quickly followed by Midshipman Mayrant and a party of men 



PAUL JOXES'S CRUISES. 57 

who scrambled over the rail ; but so little did those below know 
of what had happened, that a man ran Mayrant through the leg 
with a pike, and the English first lieutenant, rushing up on 
deck, asked Dale if the Americans had surrendered. 

" No," said Dale, calmly ; " it is you who have surrendered, 
and you are my prisoner." 

The crew were then secured, the ships were disentangled, and 
the victory was won. 

While the great fight was going on between the large vessels, 
the " Countess of Scarborough " had fallen an easy prey to the 
" Pallas," which was a heavier ship. The " Alliance," if Landais 
had done his duty, might have destroyed the enemy single- 
handed ; but she took no part in the fight except to fire a few 
broadsides at the two ships as they lay together, which did more 
harm to the '"' Richard " than to her foe. Landais was led to 
this most treacherous conduct by his jealousy of Jones ; but so far 
from injuring the commodore, it only benefited him, for it left 
to him alone all the glor}^ of the victor}'. 

The "• Richard " was kept afloat with difficulty that night ; but 
next day a gale sprang up, and seeing that it was impossible to 
save her, Jones took off all his people and their prisoners to the 
captured ship. Then the " Bon Homme Richard," whose career 
had been so short and glorious, slowly settled, until at last the 
waves closed over her. Tlie other ships made sail and put into 
the Dutch port of the Texel, where Jones took command of the , 
" Alliance," and soon after, carrying her through the midst of 
the Channel fleet, arrived safel}- at Brest. The miserable Lan- 
dais was tried by a court-martial, and dismissed from the service 
in disgrace, — a punishment which he richly deserved. 



58 THE BOYvS OF 1812. 

In the whole war of the RevoUitioii there was no event, 
excepting the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown, where Burgoyne 
and Cornwallis laid down their arms, that so encouraged our 
friends and wrought confusion to our enemies, as the victory of 
the '• Bon Honnne Richard." The battle had been fought on the 
English coast, and in the sight of a thousand Englishmen. The 
*' Serapis " was a noble ship, well armed, commanded by a gallant 
officer, while her victorious enemy was old and rotten, an India 
trading-vessel never meant for war, with gmis of no great service. 
No wonder that when Paul Jones went to Paris after the battle 
the people of all degrees vied with one another in doing honor to 
the victorious commodore. He went to Court, wliere he w^as 
graciously received, and the King presented him with a golden 
sword, and made him a (chevalier of his ()i-der of Merit, — an honor 
which it was said had only been conferred before that time upon 
those who had borne arms under the commission of France. The 
Continental Congress, too, was mindful of his great service, and 
caused a medal to be struck in commemoration of the victory. 

It was Paul Jones's last exploit in tlie navy of his country. 
AVhen the '^ America," the first ship-of-tlie-line that was built by 
the United States, was nearly finished. (Congress i)asse(l a resolu- 
tion, without one dissenting voice, giving the eomniand to Jones. 
But in 1782. when the ship was ready, the war was almost over, 
and it was then thought best to give her to the French, to take 
the place of th(^ ship •' Magnifi(|ue." which had l)een lost in Bos- 
ton Harbor. So there was nothing left for Jones to do ; but if 
in his whole life lie liad accomplished uotliing else but the con- 
quest of the '• Serapis,"" that single act would have been enough 
to make his countrx' hold him forever in o-rateful remembrance. 



PAUL JONES'S CRUISES. 59 

Some years after the end of the Revohition the Russian Em- 
press Catherine, who was then fighting against the Turks, sent 
for Paul Jones to lead her fleet against the enemy. Thus it came 
about that he became a Russian Admiral, and commanded the 
squadron in the Black Sea, where he increased his fame by win- 
ning; victories over the Turkish vessels. After this service he 
came back to Paris, where he died in 1702, in the midst of the 
French Revolution. 




CHAPTER V. 

BARRY AND BARXF.Y. 

\ URING the time that Wickes and Conyngbam 
and Paul Jones were carrying on the war 
with such success in the enemy's waters 
under the guidance of Franklin, the Conti- 
nental Navy was cruising on the American 
coast as actively as was possible, in the 
neighborhood of the great English fleets. 
But it was a work of the utmost danger and difficulty. Several 
of the ports at one time or another were in the enemy's hands, and 
in all of them the Tories, or Loyalists, as they called themselves, 
were ready to give information whenever a vessel was fitted out 
for sea. Outside the ports, and up and down the coast, from 
Halifax to Florida, were innumerable cruisers of the enemy, sail- 
ing alone or in light squadrons, ever on the watch, and ready to 
capture the insurgent ships, which almost always were of lesser 
force. Of the thirteen frigates that were built by Congress in 
1775, five never got to sea at all, and several of the others, like 
Biddle's ship, the " Randolph," were captured or destroyed before 
they had had time to do much service. The first one taken was 
the " Hancock," under Captain Manley, the same wlio. by his 
capture of the brig " Nancy," had so rejoiced the army before 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 61 

Boston. He was cruising toward the Banks, and had made one 
good prize, the armed ship '" Fox," when, rashly looking into 
Halifax, he was chased out and captured by Sir George Collier 
in the "Rainbow" frigate. This was in 1777. The next 
year was full of disasters. First came the blowing up of 
the •' Randolph " in March, the story of which has been already 
told. In April, the "• Virginia," which had been built at Balti- 
more, was taken while aground on her first passage down the 
Chesapeake. In August, too, the '' Raleigh " had to yield, but 
only after a hard-fought battle, of which we shall hear more 
presently. In the next year the ■' Warren," under Commodore 
Saltonstall, sailing on an expedition against the British post on 
the Penobscot, fell in with a large squadron of the enemy and 
was burned to prevent capture. The ••' Providence " and ''' Bos- 
ton " were taken a year later, at the surrender of Charleston ; 
but, like the '' Warren," they had done good service and taken 
many prizes before they fell into the hands of the enemy. The 
last of all the thirteen frigates was the " Trumbull," and she 
held on till 1781, when she was overpowered by a squadron 
and struck after a desperate resistance. 

One of the Philadelphia frigates which i;ever got to sea was 
the "Effingham." Near the latter part of 1776 she was assigned 
to the command of John Barry, a Philadelphia sea-captain of 
Irish birth, who was much trusted and respected by the great 
merchants of his adopted city, and who had entered the navy 
at the beginning of the war. Under such difficulties did the 
Colonies labor in the preparation of their ships-of-war, that the 
•• Effingham " was at this time far from being in a condition to 
proceed to sea, and while waiting for her during the winter. 



G2 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Barry saw some service with the army as a volunteer. The 
spring and summer passed away, and still his ship w^as not ready. 
At last, in September, Sir William Howe suddenly appeared in 
the Chesapeake, and after landing and fighting the Ijattle of 
the Brandy wine, he marched across the country to the Delaware, 
and took possession of Philadelphia. The •' Effingham " and the 
other ships which had been lying there were hurried away to 
places of safety either up or down the river. The British threw 
up works to command the river, and the frigate " Delaware," 
attacking them, ran aground and was lost. The Continental 
troops in the river forts — Fort Mercer and Fort Mifflin — were 
vigorously assailed by the British and the Hessians ; and though 
the invaders were repulsed with heavy loss, the forts were 
finally evacuated. The ships below the town — among them 
Biddle's famous little brig the '"Andrew Doria" — were then 
destro3^ed, and the passage was opened to the enemy from Phila- 
delphia to the sea. 

The " Effingham " and '' Washington ' — the two unfinished 
frigates — had been carried up the stream, where they remained, 
as it would seem, secure from all attack. Barry grew impatient 
in his enforced idleness, and conceived a plan to use the frigates' 
boats for a cutting-out expedition down the river, where the 
enemy's freight-ships and transports, loaded with supplies and 
stores, were constantly passing and repassing on their way to and 
from the sea. Selecting thirty men on whom he could rely, he 
rowed down the stream, and evading all the lookouts, made his 
way successfully past the town. Pausing now cautiously to 
reconnoitre, he presently discovered four store-ships which had 
anchored in the river before discharging their cargo. Stealthily 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 63 

he crept up to the nearest of them, boarded her "with his 
men, overcame the watch, and in a few seconds had taken 
possession of her. The same course was pursued with the other 
three. Barry was strong!}' tempted to try to carry oft" his 
prizes ; but by this time the aUirm had been given and sig- 
nals were displayed, and before long the enemy's patrol boats 
would approach. There was nothing left but to destroy the 
vessels ; and Barry, taking only time enough to see that the 
work had been well done, made for the opposite shore, and 
after landing his men safely, returned watliout loss to the 
frigate. 

The boldness with which Barry had performed this dashing 
exploit won for him a reputation with both friends and foes. 
The story goes that Howe, struck by the captain's daring, made 
overtures to him to join the British service, and even went so 
far as to promise him a reward of £15,000 if he would betray 
his trust. "• Not the value or command of the whole British 
Navy," was Barry's prompt answer, '' would seduce me from the 
cause of my country I " 

The French alliance, and the change it wrought uj^on the face 
of the war, led the British to determine upon the evacuation of 
Philadelphia, which came about accordingly in the following 
summer. But before going away they struck one blow from 
which the Continental Navy could not easily recover. Major 
Maitland, with a force of gunboats and barges, accompanied by a 
detachment of infantry and artillery, made a raid up the river 
and sought out all the vessels which had been lying snugly con- 
cealed there during the winter. They had no batteries, and 
were in no way capable of offering resistance ; and all, including 



64 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the '• Effingham " and ''Washington," were l)unied. A month 
later the British abandoned Philadelphia. 

Barry was now appointed to tlie " Raleigh," one of the best 
of the thirteen frigates, which had already been at sea under 
another captain. At this time she was lying at Boston, and on 
the 25th of September, 1778, Barry weighed anchor and sailed 
down the harbor, bomid on a cruise to the eastward. She had 
been only' six hours oat of port, when two large ships -were 
seen approaching her from a distance. These proved to be a 
British frigate, the '' Experiment," of fifty guns, and the sloop 
"Unicorn." The "'Experiment" alone was nearly double the 
'^Raleigh's" size, and Barry used his best endeavors to escape 
from them. But they had seen him, and crowded sail in chase: 
Night fell, and concealed both pursuers and pursued. The next 
day was hazy ; but at noon the fog lifted and showed tlie enemy 
still far away, but doing all he could to lessen the distance. So 
the chase continued for the rest of the day and the whole of the 
night, and the next day too, the enemy occasionally lost to view, 
and so raising the hopes of Barry and his crew, but each time 
reappearing, and still in hot pursuit. On the morning of the 
third day the wind freshened, and the " Raleigh,' which now was 
oif the coast of Maine, gradually increased her speed and seemed 
about to cast off her pursuers ; but in the afternoon the breeze 
again fell light, giving them once more the advantage, until at 
five o'clock the larger ship, the ''• Experiment," had barely man- 
aged to come up, and opened fire. 

The chances of escape now seemed slight indeed ; but Barry 
was not a man to let himself be taken w^ithout a struggle, even 
by an enemy that was twice his size, and boldly joining battle, 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 65 

he began a contest which was to last for seven long hours, and 
in which the steadfast courage and unyielding purpose of the 
commander would have done credit to Paul Jones himself. At 
the second fire of the enemy the " Raleigh's " fore-topmast top- 
pled over and fell. Nevertheless, she kept up a furious can- 
nonade at close quarters, pouring in broadside after broadside at 
her big antagonist. The latter now found herself badly injured, 
and moved to a point some distance off, keeping up +ier fire at 
long range. Never allowing himself to be discouraged for a mo- 
ment, although he had little reason to hope, Barry took advan- 
tage of this breathing-space to repair his damages. Then he 
followed the enemy and attempted to close with her and carry 
her by boarding. It was a desperate measure, but it seemed to be 
the only chance ; for the " Unicorn " had now come up, and Barry 
found himself between two fires. The " Experiment," however, 
discovered his purpose and avoided him successfully. It had 
now grown very dark, and as a last resort Barry sought to get 
away and elude his opponents among the islands which at this 
point are thickty dotted along the shores of Maine ; but they 
hung to him closely, and as a crowning misfortune his vessel 
ran aground. The struggle was now hopeless, and it would 
have been madness to hold out any longer. Abandoning his 
ship, Barry made for the land. This, with great difficulty, he at 
length reached, and so succeeded in escaping with some part 
of his crew ; but the frigate which he had so gallantly defended 
fell into the hands of the enemy. 

Thus ended the cruise of the " Raleigh," — a cruise which had 
lasted only three days, but of which every moment had been 
filled with intense excitement, alternating between faint hope 



05 THE BOYS OF 18r2. 

and blank despair, ending in failure, but which gave to her cap- 
tain a name and fame that lasted long after the close of the 
Revolution. No man of his day in the navy was more honored 
by his equals and more beloved and reverenced by those below 
him in rank. His sailors adored hiui ; there was nothing they 
were not ready to do for him. He was always frank and gener- 
ous to his friends and humane to his (Micmies. On board his 
ship he exacted full obedience, and he got it, both from officers 
and men, but always by gentle means. With a fine and noble 
presence, and a face that bespoke a true heart and ready hand 
guided by a strong purpose and a lofty courage, there was 
none in all the navy more regarded and esteemed than John 
Barry. 

After the cruise of the '' Raleigh," Barry served for a time 
in privateers. Like Paul Jones, he should have had a good ship, 
but there was none to give him. Finally in 1780, after Landais 
came back disgraced from Europe, Barry was ordered to take 
command of the " Alliance," and in the following winter he 
sailed for France, taking with him as a passenger Henry Lau- 
rens, who went out as the new Minister to France. In May, 1 781, 
he left Lorient on his return ; and on the 28th, ho'iug then near 
the Banks of Newfoundland, in the evening he discovered in his 
neighborhood two sail of the enemy, ^- the ship •' Atalanta," of 
twenty guns, and the brig " Trepassey," of fourteen. Barry 
waited for daylight to attack them ; but the next morning the 
wind fell, and not a ripple broke the shining surface of tlie 
water ; while the " Alliance," with her tall and graceful spars, 
and her sails hanging loose in the dead calm, slowly rose and 
fell with the broad swell of the Atlantic. There she lay like a 



BARRY AND BARNP:Y. 67 

huge log, unable to move a yard this way or that. Her very size 
was a misfortune now, for her two antagonists, smaller and 
more handy, could manoeuvre as they pleased, with their long 
sweeps ; and moving up they took positions on her quarter, and 
opened on her with their guns. The " Alliance " could not reply 
with a single cannon, her heavy battery was useless, and the 
" Atalanta " and her consort kept up a steady fire for the whole 
morning and well into the afternoon. It was a galling thing 
for Barry to be placed thus at the mercy of a lesser force, to see 
his men shot down around him, and to be powerless himself to 
fire a shot in their defence. 

At two o'clock Barry, who had all this time been waiting with 
impatience on the quarter-deck for the unwilling breeze, received 
a wound in the shoulder from a grape-shot. Stung as he was by 
the sharp pain, he refused to leave the deck ; but at length, faint- 
ing from loss of blood, he was carried below to the cockpit, 
where the surgeon set about dressing his wound. Presently the 
first lieutenant came down .to report the condition of the ship, 
upon whose deck many of the crew were lying killed or wounded, 
and ending his report, asked if he should strike the flag. Barry 
indignantly refused. "• If the ship," said he, " cannot be fought 
without me, they shall carry me again on deck." 

This answer revived the drooping spirits of the crew and 
gave fresh vigor to their efforts. Soon after this a little wind 
sprang up. It barely gave the frigate way to bring her guns to 
bear upon the enemy ; but it was enough, and only a few broad- 
sides from her 18-pounders were needed to settle the result. 
The captain of the " Trepassey " fell, and his ship immediately 
surrendered. His comrade Edwards, who commanded the 



68 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

" Atcilanta," refused at first to yield, but a few more broadsides 
.cut his vessel well-nigh to pieces, and at three o'clock his flag too 
was hauled down. As the brave Edwards came on board the 
'• Alliance " to give up his sword, Barry, forgetting his wound 
and the anxious hours that his opponent had made him pass, 
generously gave it back to him, saying as he did so, " Keep it, 
my friend. You richly deserve it ; and your king ought to give 
you a better ship." 

The ^'Alliance " during the next year was still cruising under 
Barry's command. But the war, though in name it still contin- 
ued, was almost at an end. It was now certain that the king 
would do the thing he most abhorred, which was to recognize 
the independence of America, — and hostilities on land had really 
ceased. The seas still swarmed with British cruisers, but none 
of them were able to capture the "" Alliance," and she was 
brought safely home. After the treaty was concluded, the 
Government, no longer needing her. sold her to Philadelphia 
merchants, and she became a peaceful trading-vessel. 



^'QAB^/B^ 



There was one officer among the younger men of the navy 
who resembled Barry no less in bravery and seamanlike skill 
than in the winning frankness and generosity of his nature. 
This was Joshua Barney. Three years before the war broke out 
he had gone to sea on his first voyage, and had risen in two 
years to be the second mate of his vessel. Early in 1775, not 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 69 

dreaming of the hostilities that were shortly to occur, he had 
set out from Baltimore on a voyage to the Mediterranean. The 
captain died at sea, the chief mate had been left behind, and 
Barney found himself, when only sixteen years of age, in the 
command of a leaky ship, with a long voyage before him, and 
all the responsibility resting on his shoulders. It was a hard 
trial for him ; but he had gained the good-will of his crew, and 
to a man they obeyed and supported him. Just before sighting 
the coast of Spain he fell in with a gale of wind ; and he only 
managed to get into Gibraltar as his ship was on the point of 
going down. Here he obtained assistance and repairs by giving 
bonds, — for he had no money, — and he was thus enabled to 
deliver his cargo at Nice, which was the port of destination. 
The firm to which the cargo was consigned refused to pay 
the bonds, although there could be no doubt that it was their 
duty. " Well, then," said Barney, "■ you shall not have your 
cargo." 

The merchants were astounded at the attempt of this boy of 
sixteen to make resistance, and upon their presenting a com- 
plaint to the governor, the latter threw Barney into prison. 
Making his escape by a stratagem, young Barney went at once 
to Milan and laid his case before the British minister, with such 
eifect that in three days he had returned to Nice, the governor 
had apologized, his bond had been paid, and his ship discharged. 

After a short stay Barney set out on his voyage home. As 
he was coming up the Chesapeake, he learned for the first time, 
from an English sloop-of-war that boarded him, of the stirring 
events that had occurred, — that battles had been fought at 
Lexington and Bunker Hill, and that Washington was besieging 



70 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Boston, and the war for independence was begun. As soon as he 
landed, he made the otter of his services to the Government. 

At first Barney served as a volunteer in small vessels ; but he 
soon' became a lieutenant, and he was ordered late in the sum- 
mer of 1776 to the '' Andrew Doria," now under the command 
of Captain Robinson. In this ship he made a cruise to the West 
Indies. While here, the '"Doria" put in at the Dutch island of 
St. Eustatius to get some ammunition that was stored there for 
the Continental Congress, and upon arrival she fired a salute 
to the governor's flag. The governor, without much thought 
perhaps, returned the salute. This was the first time that the 
flag of the new American State had been recognized by any 
foreign power, and the Americans were much rejoiced that it 
should come about. But the British, who still felt that tlie 
Colonies were a part of Britain, and who knew^ that Holland was 
bound so to regard them, were incensed at the governor's act, 
and demanded his recall. The Dutchmen, who did not dare 
refuse, ordered him home ; and the poor governor lost his post in 
consequence of his unthinking courtesy. 

Soon after this the " Doria," now on her way home, met an 
enemy's sloop-of-war, the '• Racehorse," which had been sent by 
Admiral Parker to lie in wait for her off Porto Rico. But the 
admiral did not count upon the bravery of the Americans, or he 
would have sent a larger ship ; for the " Racehorse," after a liot 
engagement for two hours, was herself forced to surrender. 

A few days later the " Doria " captured an English snow, — 
an armed merchant-vessel of peculiar rig. — and Barney was 
detached to take her home. As had happened before with the 
'- Doria's " prizes when Biddle was in command, the brig's crew 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 71 

was too small to man them, and Barney made up the needed 
number from the prisoners. On the way north he had heavy 
weather, for it was now December, — a month in which no seaman 
likes to pass Cape Hatteras, — and day after day the vessel en- 
countered a succession of furious gales and heavy seas. Keeping 
well out to the eastward until he had fetched a point fi'oni which 
he could reach the Chesapeake, Barney now headed for the land, 
and at last found himself, on Christmas night, in a driving east- 
erly storm, close on the breakers of the Jersey coast. To keep 
his vessel away from the lee shore and its certain perils, the 
young prize-master, as his only course, resolved to ride out the 
gale and let go his only anchor. So the night fell upon him and 
his men, — a fearful night, what with the roaring tempest, and 
the sea rolling mountains high, while every wave broke over the 
bows of the ship. It seemed each instant, from the violence of 
the sea, that the small cable must part, and with it she would 
lose her only hope. The men, yielding themselves to .blank 
despair, were sinking into lethargy. It was then that Barney, 
though he had little cause to hope himself, talked to them with 
cheering words, trying to rouse them from their stupor. He 
called to mind the battles they had fought, and how they had 
been ready to stand up bravely before the enemy and face death 
in another form. 

" I am not much of a chaplain, my good lads," he said, " but 
this I know, that the same Power that protected you then can 
protect you now ; and if we are all to go to Davy Jones's locker, 
we might as well go with a bold face as a sheepish one." 

Barney's good example shamed the men to greater courage ; 
but the night wore on and the day broke, and still the fury of 



72 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the storm kept up. The crew were in the tops, and Barney with 
them. Soon a cry was heard of " Sail ho ! " and every eye was 
turned toward a small sloop, which appeared in sight driven 
before the gale, yet trying to make an offing. Anxiously the 
men watched the frail boat, one moment rising on tlie wave till 
they could see her keel, and the next plunging down till she was 
lost to view. Each time it seemed as if .she could not rise again; 
but each time she shot up on the foaming crest, seemingly steady- 
ing herself an instant before the next downward phmge. Sud- 
denly there was heard a long, shrill shriek of terror piercing 
through the din and crash of breakers, and the sloop was swal- 
lowed up in the seething waters. 

After this sight no words of Barney's could rouse his men 
from their terrors. But fortunately toward the middle of the 
afternoon the wind abated and the sea gradually went down. 
Barney lost no time in getting his crew down from aloft as soon 
as it was safe, and they were only too glad to come. 

" Up with the anchor I Man the capstan ! Cheerily, my 
lads!" rans; out from Barnev: and the men went to their duties 
with a will, and getting underway, headed for the harbor of 
Chincoteague, near by, where they found a temporary shelter. 

After resting here for a few days Barney started for the 
Chesapeake. On the second day out he was discovered by the 
" Perseus," one of the enemy's blockading vessels, which imme- 
diately started in pursuit. Barney would have got off, as he 
had the faster ship ; but the prisoners in his crew, who had been 
planning mutiny, and were only waiting till they sighted an 
English ship-of-war, refused to go to their stations. Barney 
singled out the ringleader and ordered him to his duty, and as 



-/^y'.. 






iliEiliSifiiiiilMiU' 



BARRY AND BARNF.Y. 75 

the man did not stir he shot him then and there, though without 
giving him a mortal wound. This put an end to the mutiny ; 
TjLit through the delay the '' Perseus " had been enabled to over- 
take the prize- vessel, and so she was recaptured. The wounded 
mutineer told his story to Captain Elphinstone, the commander 
of the " Perseus," thinking that he would at once have Barney 
put in irons ; but the captain set his complaint at nought, and 
said that if he had been in Barney's place he would have done 
the same. 

Barney remained a month on board the " Perseus." Her 
captain, Elphinstone, who afterward became the famous Ad- 
miral Lord Keith, was a generous enemy, and treated his pris- 
oners as became an honorable and gallant officer. Upon one 
occasion the purser, a hot-tempered Scotchman, struck Barney 
in the face, on the quarter-deck, whereupon the youug lieuten- 
ant knocked hiui down. The captain, when he heard of it, sent 
Avord to them both to come to his cabin, and without asking 
any questions he commanded the purser to make apology on his 
knees to tlie unarmed prisoner whom he had affronted. So 
Barney fared well in the " Perseus ; " but he was not sorry, soon 
afterward, at Charleston, to leave her on parole and go to 
Philadelphia, to which place his old ship the " Andrew Doria " 
had meanwhile come without mishap. 

For some months Barney could not join his ship, being bound 
by his parole, but at last an accident relieved him of it. It 
happened that Lieutenant Moriarty, of the English frigate " Sole- 
bay," with a boat's-crew, had incautiously gone ashore for water 
somewhere in the Chesapeake, and had been seized and taken 
prisoner by a party of Virginians. Captain Elphinstou(i now 



76 THI-: BOYS OF 1812. 

made an agreement with Gov. Patrick Henry, of Virginia, to 
exchange the two lieutenants ; and so Barney was released from 
his parole in time to bear his part in the actions in the Delaware 
River during the weeks that followed Sir William Howe's occu- 
pation of the city. How the '■• Doria " and the other vessels were 
destroyed after the surrender of the forts has been already told ; 
and Barney, being now without a ship, was ordered to march 
with a detachment of his men to Baltimore, and there to join 
the new frigate " Virginia." 

It was just at New Year's, in 1778, that Barney arrived m 
Baltimore; and as the frigate of which he was to be the first lieu- 
tenant was not yet ready for sea, he took command of a pilot-boat 
to cruise about the bay and watch the movements of the enemy, 
who had then several ships in the Chesapeake. One night, as 
he was returning from a reconnoissance, he found a merchant- 
sloop from Baltimore on her w\ay down the bay, and hailed her, 
telling her what dangers she would meet below. To his no small 
surprise he was answered by a volley of musketry. He tacked 
in order that he might the better return this unlooked-for fire, 
and presently discovered on the off side of the sloop a ship's 
barge lashed alongside. It was now clear why his seeming 
friend had fired on him. The enemy had cut out the sloop, and 
they were using her as a decoy to capture Barney. But he 
served them the same turn that he had served the " Racehorse;" 
for after a short and sharp struggle he captured them and took 
them to the city. The barge belonged to His Majesty's sliip 
" Otter; ' and Barney, mindful of the treatment he had received. 
on board the " Perseus," took the best of care of his prisoners, — 
above all of Gray, the officer in charge, who had been wounded, 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 77 

and sent a flag-of-tmce boat to the " Otter," to bring them what 
they needed. 

On the last day of March the " Virginia " left Baltimore, and 
attempted under cover of the night to pass the British lookouts 
in the bay, and so get out to sea. No doubt she would have 
done it safely had not the pilot, losing his way, run her ashore 
on the Middle Ground, a large shoal in the lower Chesapeake. 
The morning broke, and found her hard and fast aground, with 
three of the enemy's frigates close at hand. Nicholson, the cap- 
tain of the " Virginia," now called away his barge and left the 
ship, making his escape to land. It is a story that one must 
grieve to tell of an American officer ; but it can only be supposed 
that, having l^ut just entered the navy, he did not know what 
honor and duty meant. There was nothing left now but sur- 
render, for the rest could not escape. 

Barney was now a prisoner on board the "' Emerald " frigate. 
It is clear that even in a bitter war not only one good turn 
deserves another, but secures another ; for the kind treatment 
which Barney had received from Captain Elphinstone resulted in 
his kindness to the " Otter's " meii, and this again, which was 
well known throughout the British squadron, gained for him 
equal favors in his new captivity. But this did not last long ; 
for after a little while he was sent to New York, where for the 
first time he came to know the horrors of a prison-ship. 

Late in August Barney was exchanged, and found himself 
again in Baltimore ; but there was little now for him to do. 
After all the disasters of this disastrous year of 1778, only four 
frigates were left on the American coast, and the smaller vessels 
had mostly been destroyed or captured. While he was in this 



78 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

plight a nierchant offered him the cominand of a privateer 
schooner, carrying two guns and a crew of eight men ; and Bar- 
ney, being so reduced for want of naval occupation, consented to 
take her to St. Eustatius with a cargo of tobacco. He must have 
been truly at his wit's end to have undertaken such a voyage in 
such a craft ; for even if he could have carried out the undertak- 
ing, he would have gained neither glory nor profit from it. But 
he was not destined to carry it out ; for even before he reached 
the capes he met a larger privateer, carrying four guns and sixty 
men, which speedily disposed of him after a running fight of a 
few minutes. The enemy, not caring to be troubled with prison- 
ers, put him and his little crew^ ashore ; and his voyage being thus 
curtailed, he found himself a few days later again in Baltimore. 
Here he remained for several weeks. 

Strange as it must seem, Barney was now only nineteen years 
old, yet there had been crowded into his short boy-life more ad- 
ventures and perilous enterprises than most men of three times 
his years have gone through. Since the war began, he had been 
thrice made a prisoner, but each time he had been fortunate in 
having humane captors. But the worst was yet in store for him. 
After a successful privateering voyage to Bordeaux, he sailed in 
1780 in the " Saratoga," under Captain Voung. Early in Octo- 
ber she captured four prizes, one of which was given to Barney 
to command. He left the " Saratoga," and it was fortunate he 
did, for she was never seen or heard of afterward ; but the prize 
which he commanded was herself captured only one day later by 
a British squadron. Barney was taken to New York, and soon 
after sent to England in the " Yarmouth." On board this ship 
the prisoners were confined in the hold, in a space three feet 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 79 

high, and without light or air ; and the horrors of the voyage, 
which lasted seven weeks, remind one of the fearful stories of the 
Middle Passage in the old slave-trading days. It was by com- 
parison a happiness to be transferred even to the Mill Prison, 
after those wretched hours on board the " Yarmouth ; " and the 
prisoners when they came ashore, weak from suffering and dis- 
ease and want of food, were a most piteous spectacle. 

How Barney, after three month's confinement, made his escape 
from prison ; how he lived six weeks unrecognized in London, 
though all the time a price was set upon his head ; how he sailed 
for. Ostend in a mail-packet, and after various wanderings upon 
the Continent at last returned to America, — we have not time to 
tell. The spring of 1782 found him once more in Philadelphia, 
still ready for any service for which his country might call. 

Although the war on land had at this time pretty nearly 
come to an end, the Delaware River and the bay below were still 
infested by Tory privateers and stray cruisers from the British 
fleets on the lookout for prizes. To clear its waters of these 
marauders, the State of Pennsylvania bought a merchant-vessel 
named the " Hyder Ali," which had already started on her voy- 
age with a cargo. She was brought back, her merchandise re- 
moved, a -battery of sixteen guns was mounted, and she was fitted 
for a cruise under the command of Barney. 

On the 8th of April she left Philadelphia with a large mer- 
chant fleet in company, which had been waiting patiently until 
the new cruiser should be ready to convoy them past the capes of 
the Delaware. All went smoothly on the way down the bay ; 
but at Cape May, as the wind was southerly, the fleet anchored, 
waiting for a favorable breeze. They were in this position when 



80 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

suddenly a force of the enemy, composed of a frigate and a sloop- 
of-war, was seen rounding the cape on its way to attack them. 
Barney ordered the convoy to retire up the bay out of harm's 
reach, and the vessels tripped their anchors and made sail before 
the southerly wind, the " Hyder Ali " staying behind to cover 
their retreat. 

Now it happened that there was — and still is, for that mat- 
ter — in the lower part of the bay, a widely-spreading shoal 
called the Overfalls, which divided the water into two channels. 
The convoy on its way up took the eastern channel, and thither 
it was followed by the '^' Hyder Ali." The frigate went up on 
the western side, hoping by this means to overtake and cut off 
some of the merchantmen without hindrance at the upper end of 
the shoal. But the sloop, her captain being more ambitious or 
more reckless, followed in the wake of the convoy ; and thus it 
came to pass that in a short time she had caught up with the 
" Hyder Ali," which, seeing that the enemy's force was divided, 
was taking no great pains to get away from her. The sloop 
was the " General Monk," which under the name of the " Wash- 
ington " had once been an American privateer, but had been 
captured by the enemy. 

Although the " Monk " alone was considerably heavier in 
force, as she carried twenty 9-pounders to his sixteen 6's, 
Barney waited for her to join battle. His object was to get her 
so to place herself that he would be able to rake her ; that is, by 
lying across her bow or stern, to make his broadside sweep her 
decks from one end to the other. This he accomplished by a 
stratagem. As the " Monk " approached his quarter, he sang out 
to his helmsman to " port the helm," so loud, that the enemy 




HEAVING THE LEAD ON BOARD THE FRIGATE. 



BARRY AND BARNEY. 83 

could hear him. If the quartermaster had obeyed his order, it 
would have given the " Monk " an advantage by enabling her to 
rake his stern ; but Barney had arranged beforehand that the 
helmsman should do just the opposite of what he said. The 
result was that the " Hyder Ali " was thrown squarely across 
the bow of the sloop, so that a moment later her jib-boom was 
entangled in the American's rigging, where she was held fast, 
and Barney had her at his mercy. He poured his broadside 
the whole length of her decks, and she could barely answer now 
and then with a single gun. After half an hour's contest she 
surrendered. 

Meantime the frigate, seeing what was going on, endeavored 
to help her consort ; but the shoal lay between, and it took her 
a long time to round its lower end. Barney, knowing that he 
could not sustain a fight with her, decided to make off, and did 
not stand upon the order of his going. Hastily throwing a 
prize crew on board the " Monk," he held his course up the river ; 
while, the frigate, which had turned back, was seen in the dis- 
tance doubling the southern end of the shoal. But she was too 
late, and the ^^ Hyder Ali" arrived with her convoy at Phila- 
delphia, bringing with her as a trophy the sloop which had been 
captured with so much skill and gallantry. 

The engagement between the " Hyder Ali " and the '" General 
Monk " was the last of any importance during the war. Indeed, 
since the bes-inning; of the French alliance in 1778. hostilities 
on the American coast had been chiefly carried on by the great 
English and French fleets of line-of-battle ships, which cast into 
the shade the small operations of the Continental Navy. In this 
very month Sir George Rodney won his great victory over the 



84 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Count de Grasse in the West Indies, — a battle between two 
opposing fleets larger than had ever before been brought into 
action. Early in the next year the Treaty of Paris was con- 
cluded, which recognized the independence of the United States ; 
and the navy and the army were disbanded, the ships that 
remained were sold, and the officers and men returned again to 
private life. 




CHAPTER VI. 

HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE. 

UST at the close of the Revolution the coun- 
try found itself independent, but laboring 
under a heavy burden of debt, and with a 
government that had hardl}^ enough author- 
ity to be called a government at all. In 
fact, at this period the nation was little 
more than a collection of separate States, 
with a kind of league or confederation to 
hold them together. Each of these States had its own govern- 
ment, which paid little attention to the wants of the others. 
After a few years, however, it became clear that the jealousies 
and rivalries of the States would break up the league unless 
they were held together by some stronger bond ; and as they 
could attain strength and greatness only by union, they wisely 
laid aside all their little differences, and acting through their 
delegates at Philadelphia, formed that wonderful plan of a 
united nation called the Constitution, which went into force in 
1789, and under which we still live ; for so skilfully was it 
framed, that it has stood ever}'- shock and trial, and the time 
will soon arrive to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of its 
adoption. 



86 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

It is clear that a country under such conditions could not pos- 
sibly keep up a navy ; and so it was that after the Revolutionary 
War the whole establishment gradually passed out of existence. 
Even when the Constitution was adopted, and Washington be- 
came the first President of the United States, there were other 
matters that required attention first, and the new Government 
rightly gave its thoughts to these. Besides, it was so short a 
time since the people of the Colonies had suffered from the op- 
pressions of the Royal Army and Navy, that they had a dread 
and almost a hatred of any kind of standing military force. 
Therefore, though one of the officers of the new Government was 
a secretary of war, he had not much of an army to look after, 
and no navy at all. But soon "the Government found it neces- 
sary to make a change in its naval policy, and the change came 
about in a very unexpected way. 

There were at this time four small States on the southern 
shores of the Mediterranean Sea called the Barbary Powers, 
which had for many years derived much profit from the detesta- 
ble practice of sending out piratical ships to plunder the merchant- 
vessels of all nations. The European States from time to time 
made an attempt to put the pirates down, and sometimes a great 
nation had even paid thein money on condition that they should 
not molest its commerce. There is some ground for thinking 
that England, of whom the Barbary Powers were most afraid, 
rather encouraged their depredations than sought to check them, 
because it was for her advantage, as a trading State, that foreign 
merchant-fleets should suffer, in order that the field might be 
left clear to her. However this may be, the English had never 
put forth their naval strength against the corsairs ; yet English 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE. 87 

merchantmen were mostly spared by them. Before the Revolu- 
tion the vessels of the Colonies, bearing as they did the English 
flag, had all the privileges of other English ships ; but when the 
war was over, and the merchantmen of the yonng American 
State began to reappear in the Mediterranean with a new and 
hitherto unknown American flag, the Barbary cruisers pounced 
upon them as their lawful prey. 

The first piratical capture was made in 1785, and was 
a Boston ship, the schooner " Maria." Soon afterward the 
"Dolphin," of Philadelphia, was seized. These were carried into 
Algiers, where the ships and their cargoes were confiscated by 
the Dey, and the crews were held in slavery. It seems strange 
that there should not have been enough of public spirit in the 
country to fit out ships at once and send them over to set free 
the Americans who were enslaved by these Turkish outlaws, or 
at least to protect from their barbarities other Americans navi- 
gating the seas. But no such measures were taken, and the 
prisoners were left to languish in captivity until their bucca- 
neering captors received a heavy ransom. Agents were indeed 
sent out, who did much chaffering with the Algerines, mostly 
through foreign officials ; but for a long time this brought about 
no result, and several of the captives meanwhile died. 

During the next few years the Portuguese were at war with 
Algiers, and her sliips were in consequence unable to venture far 
from port ; but in 1703 a peace was concluded, and thereupon 
an Algerine squadron, suddenly appearing outside the Strait of 
Gibraltar, fell upon and captured ten unsuspecting American 
merchantmen. This was too much for any State to bear, how- 
ever long-suffering or impoverished it might be ; and Congress 



88 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

resolved at once to begin the building of a new fleet. Accord- 
ingly plans were made for the construction of six frigates of a 
much larger size than any which the navy had possessed during 
the Revolution. In fact, some of them were of about the largest 
size that were then afloat, and led our enemies in later wars to 
declare that we had misled them by building ships-of-the-line 
under the name of frigates ; which, even if it had been true, 
would not have been a reproacli to us, as it was their busi- 
ness to find out what our ships w^ere like. It was a most 
wise measure to build these large frigates, as the country after- 
ward realized ; and great credit is due to Joshua Humphreys, 
a Pennsylvania ship-builder, upon whose suggestion the plan was 
adopted. 

Even this small provision was made only after much debate 
and opposition, because there were many men who thought that 
a navy would make the central Government too powerful, and 
would be used to destroy the liberties of the people ; and although 
the building of the ships was begun, negotiations with Algiers 
were continued, and large sums of money were expended in 
presents, — or, to speak plain English, in bribes, — to influence 
the Dey to make a treaty. These were so far successful that 
in the next year the treaty was concluded, and all the prisoners 
were ransomed. Such violent objections were now made to 
keeping up the naval force, that it was decided to finish only two 
out of the six frigates, and the work on the others was stopped. 
One member of Congress even went so far as to say that he 
hoped " the ships would rot upon the stocks as an instructive 
monument of national folly." Yet it was certainly much greater 
folly to spend a million dollars — which was what the treaty 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE, 89 

cost — in presents and bribes to Turkish officers, and in the 
ransom of American citizens, rather than in building ships and 
fitting out a navy to punish the marauders, and to deter them 
from a repetition of their outrages. For, as we shall hereafter 
see, the money that was paid was not enough to satisfy the 
Barbary Powers, who, however mnch they got, were ' always 
wanting more ; while the navy, so far from overturning liberty, 
has ever since been one of its greatest bulwarks, by the glory 
and honor which, through all its history, it has brought upon 
the Republic. 



In 1793, some time before the Algerine trouble was settled, 
a war had broken out between France and Great Britain. It 
was only ten years after the close of the Revolution, in which 
the French had been our trusted friends and the British our 
bitter enemies ; and the French, like ourselves, and partly influ- 
enced by our example, had cast off their monarchy and had 
established a republic. There seemed at first sight to be every 
reason why we should side with them against the old enemy, 
and in the beginning most of our people were ready to give them 
the warmest sympathy and support. But the French Revolution, 
with its Reign of Terror, soon took such a turn that men shrank 
with horror from its blood-stained course ; and meantime France, 
presuming too far upon the services which she had rendered in 
our own struggle for independence, demanded of us favors in 



90 THE BOYS OF KS12. 

return which we could not give without going again to war with 
Britain. It was Washington's desire then, and it has been our 
wise policy ever since, that we should avoid entangling ourselves 
in European broils, so that we found it necessary to give France 
a refusal, though it was very hard to do it. Thereupon the 
French, knowing our weakness, especially at sea, took advantage 
of it to inflict upon us every kind of injury and insult. They 
used our ports to fit out privateers, and captured vessels of the 
enemy in our own waters, which, as we were neutral in the war, 
they ought to have held sacred ; they seized our merchantmen 
upon frivolous pretexts, to the great damage of our commerce ; 
and when we made respectful protests and complaints about it, 
our ministers were treated with such indignity as the world has 
rarely seen in the dealings of Christian States, 

The British too were guilty of aggressions on their side, but 
not at this time to the same extent. So the people of America 
were divided, — some siding with the French, partly for old friend- 
ship's sake, and some with the British, because from them had 
come the lesser evil. Between these two factions party spirit 
raged with bitterness and rancor ; so that it sometimes almost 
seemed as if men thought themselves the citizens of one or tlie 
other of the opposing States, and forgot that they were all Amer- 
icans. Finally, matters came to such a pass that something 
must be done to protect our commerce, and as a war with both 
States at once seemed to be too great an undertaking, and France 
was at this time the worse offender, the new President, John 
Adams, whose party leanings were all upon that side, urged that 
a navy should be fitted out to make reprisals upon the Fi*ench 
cruisers and privateers. 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE. 



91 



In this way the summer of 1798 came to be a time of prepa- 
ration for war. The larger frigates were completed, and several 
small ones were begun. The merchants in the diiierent cities 
raised large sums of money to build ships by subscription, to be 




" EVERYWHERE THE SHIP-YARDS WERE BUSY. 

repaid later by the Government, and everywhere the ship-yards 
were busy getting ready the new fleet. Congress declared that 
the treaties with France were at an end, and authorized the 
President to instruct our ships-of-war to seize all French armed 
vessels that might be found at sea. Officers were selected, 



92 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

crews were recruited, and the Marine Corps, which has always 
since that day done most efficient service, was first created. A 
new Department of the Navy w^as established as one of the 
great divisions of the Government ; which showed that all this 
preparation was not the mere whim and fancy of the moment, 
but that the country was at last resolved to have a naval force 
which should continue for all time. 

The new Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert, proposed 
that a small force should remain to defend the coast, and that all 
the other ships should go to the West Indies, which swarmed 
with French cruisers and privateers, and attack the enemy on 
his own cruising-ground. Thither they all went in the summer 
or fall of the year, until we had assembled there what was for us 
a powerful force, composed of four squadrons, and numbering all 
together more than twenty vessels. The largest of the squad- 
rons, with the new frigate '' United States," of forty-four guns, 
as flagship, was placed under the command of John Barry, the 
story of whose Revolutionary fights was told in the last chapter, 
and who had been chosen by Washington to be the first captain 
of the new navy to hold the President's commission. Besides 
some smaller vessels, Barry had with him another frigate, the 
" Constitution," a forty-four like the " United States," which was 
destined to become our most famous ship, by winning in the War 
of 1812 a succession of splendid victories. The second squadron, 
with the 38-gun frigate " Constellation" as flagship, was given to 
Captain Truxtuji, who had also seen much service in the Revo- 
lution while in command of privateers. The third and fourth 
were lighter squadrons. B}^ means of these four detached groups 
of vessels the ports and harbors of the West India Islands were 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE. 1)3 

closely watched, every nook and corner was visited, and in the 
passages between the larger islands, which form the great high- 
ways of commerce, our merchant-ships had convoy and protec- 
tion. It was a different kind of service from that of the earlier 
war ; for our ships now were equal to any frigates in the world, 
and the enemy's great fleets of line-of-battle ships were fully 
occupied by the war in Europe ; while our older officers were 
veterans who had passed with credit through their first trial, 
and the younger could have no better masters from whom to 
learn their early lessons. 

The first prize of the war was the French privateer '• Croy- 
able." The sloop-of-war " Delaware," under Capt. Stephen 
Decatur, — not the one who afterward became so famous, who 
Avas then only a midshipman in Barry's flagship, but his father, 
— went to sea in June, 1798, and had been out but a few days 
when she captured the '' Croyable," which had been seizing sev- 
eral of our vessels on our own coast. She was taken into the 
navy and named the '' Retaliation," and the command of her 
was given to Lieut. William Bainbridge. Bainbridge was a 
young man who liad only been a merchant captain, but he was 
a daring fellow, — almost too daring for prudence, as the result 
showed ; for soon after he had reached the West Indies with 
his new command he one day unguardedly approached two 
French frigates, the •' Insurgente " and the '• Volontier," suppos- 
ing for no good reason that they were English, and his little 
ship was quickly captured. 

The "Insurgente" was the smartest ship on the West Indian 
station, and indeed one of the finest and fastest frigates in the 
French navy, and the Government expected great things of 



94 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Captain Barreault, who was in command of her. But the 
captain was destined to disappoint them. Early in Febriiary of 
the next year, as the " Constellation " was cruising to the easi> 
ward of the island of Nevis, she discovered a large ship to the 
southward, and immediately bore down for her. In the old war, 
when our officers sighted a large ship, the best thing they could 
do was to take to their heels, for the enemy was sure to over- 
match them. But the " Constellation " was a frigate of a differ- 
ent sort from those which we had sent to sea in the Revolution ; 
and Truxtun, though he believed the stranger was an enemy, 
boldly advanced to meet her. She proved to be the ''Insur- 
gente," and soon she hoisted the French flag and fired a chal- 
lenge gun to windward. 

Though the " Insurgente " hailed him several times, Truxtun 
made no reply, but continued to bear down upon her until he 
was sure that every shot would tell ; then he delivered his 
whole broadside, and the " Insurgente " answered him. The 
fight continued for an hour, the "Constellation " always gaining 
the advantage ; for Truxtun was a better seaman than Barreault, 
and again and again he placed himself where he could rake the 
enemy, while she could not reply, her broadside being turned 
away. The Americans, too, were better gunners, for they killed 
and wounded the " Insurgente's " men, while the Frenchmen, 
pointing their guns too high, only damaged the '' Constellation's" 
spars and rigging. At last, after seventy of the " Insurgente's " 
crew had fallen, and Truxtun had taken a position squarely 
athwart her stern, so that the next broadside would sweep her 
decks, she struck her flag and so surrendered. 

The "■ Constellation " had only two men killed in the battle, 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE. 



95 



and one of these was shot by his own lieutenant, Sterrett, be- 
cause he saw him flinching at his gun. One of the midshipmen, 
a gallant fellow named David Porter, of whom we shall hear 
again later, at this time only eighteen years of age, was stationed 
in the " Constellation's " fore-top during the engagement. A 
cannon-ball struck 
the topmast above 
him, and it was in 
danger of falling 
under the weight of 
yards and sails. The 
midshipman hailed 
the deck, and re- 
ported to the offi- 
cers what had hap- 
pened ; but they 
were too busy to 
send men up to 
repair the damage. 
So Porter, without 
waiting longer, 
climbed the mast 
himself amid a 
shower of bullets, 
and cut away the stoppers, which let the yard go down, and by 
this means the mast was saved. 

After the battle the first lieutenant of the '' Constellation," 
John Rodgers, was sent on board the prize, with Porter and 
eleven men, to see to the removal of the prisoners. A fresh 




DAVID PORTEk. 



t)0 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

breeze blowing at the time delayed the work, and soon the night 
closed in, the wind increased to a gale, and the ships were sepa- 
rated. There were still one hundred and seventy of the French- 
men on board the '' Insurgente," with no one but Lieutenant 
Rodgers and his handful of men to guard them. Rodgers was a 
young man of muscular frame, which is a good thing at such 
times as these ; and both he and Porter were cool and determined, 
which is a better thing. But they had no easy task. The grat- 
ings covering the hatchways had been thrown overboard. There 
were no means of securing the prisoners. The spars and rigging 
and sails of the prize had been cut and torn, and her decks and 
sides still bore the marks of battle : and here was Rodgers sepa- 
rated from the " Constellation," in a gale of wind, with only his 
faithful midshipman and eleven seamen, and with nearly two 
hundred prisoners who knew the weakness of their guards, and 
who were ready for any effort that would help them to retake 
the ship. 

Difficult as his position was, Rodgers proved himself equal to it. 
He stationed a sentry at each hatchway with musket and pistols, 
ordering them to shoot the first man that attempted to come on 
deck, and with the other men he took care of the ship. For 
three sleepless days and nights — for neither he nor Porter could 
snatch a moment's rest — he sailed this way and that, almost 
at the mercy of the storm, and finally brought the vessel into 
St. Kitt's, whither the " Constellation " had gone before him. 

During the next six months the war — for such we may call 
it. tliough in truth it was only a series of reprisals for injuries 
received — continued with unabated vigor. Nothing could show 
more clearly the importance of a navy than these same reprisals 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE 97 

of 1798 and 1799. During the twelve months ending in July of 
the latter year many privateers of greater or less force had been 
taken, and France was now more ready 'to treat on equal terms. 
The frigate '^ United States," still under Barry, was selected to 
take out the new envoys sent by our Government to Paris, and her 
phice on the windward station was taken by the "Constellation," 
Commodore Talbot in the " Constitution " relieving Truxtun at 
St. Domingo. New ships were sent out to both squadrons, which 
were instructed to go on with their captures in order that the 
French might see that we were in earnest and would put up 
with no more trifling. 

Our merchant-ships still needed protection, for the privateers 
continued their aggressions, and besides the privateers there 
were in the West Indies many small armed vessels belonging to 
no State in particular, whose business was to seize and plunder 
anything they could. These last were little better than pirates, 
who made this or that island or bay a place of refuge for the 
moment, and were ready to change their character according to 
the ships that they fell in with. To serve against these picaroons, 
as they were called, two small but swift schooners were built, — 
the "Enterprise" and the "Experiment." They carried twelve 
guns each, and were exactly what was needed for the purpose. 
The " Enterprise " alone during her short cruise captured nine 
vessels carrying all together more than seventy guns and five 
hundred men ; and besides this she recaptured eleven American 
merchantmen, and beat off a Spanish brig which sought to attack 
her. This was more than any of the frigates had accomplished. 

The severest action of the war was yet to come, and this fell 
also to the lot of the " Constellation." In February, 1800, just 



98 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

a year after his fight with the " Insurgente," Commodore Trux- 
tun was cruising to the west of Guadeloupe, when he came in 
sight of the " Vengeance," a heavy French frigate of the largest 
size, carrying fifty guns. Although she was much more than a 
match for Truxtun, she avoided an engagement and made sail 
to leave him. Truxtun without hesitation followed in pursuit ; 
but the chase lasting several hours, it was twilight before he 
came up with her. Then he hoisted his ensign, lighted his 
battle lanterns, and gave his orders not to throw away a 
single charge of powder, but to take good aim, firing directly 
into the enemy's hull, loading with two round shot, and now and 
then a round shot and a stand of grape ; and he told his officers 
" to encourage the men at their quarters, and to cause or suffer 
no noise or confusion, but to load and fire as fast as possible, 
when it could be done with certain effect." 

As the commodore approached, his guns loaded and his gun- 
ners ready and waiting, he stood in the lee gangway to speak 
the " Vengeance," and demand her surrender to the United 
States of America. But at that instant she opened a fire from 
her stern and quarter guns directed at his spars and rigging. 
Truxtun gained a position on her weather quarter, and returned 
the enemy's salute ; and now for five long hours of the tropical 
night the battle raged, a running fight, the two vessels keeping 
side by side within pistol-shot. The " Constellation's " gunners, 
bearing in mind their orders, planted one hundred and eighty 
shot in the enemy's hull ; but their guns were light, and they 
could not inflict a fatal wound upon the great frigate's heavy 
side. But the slaus^hter on the Frenchman's decks was fearful, 
for fully one third of his crew lay killed or wounded. Three 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCE. 101 

times his flag -was struck during the battle, but in the darkness 
of the night it was not seen, and there was no cessation of the 
combat. 

At last, about an hour after midnight, the enemy was si- 
lenced, and no answer came from his fifty guns. Both ships 
were still under way, the " Vengeance " sheering off ; and Trux- 
tun, knowing that the fight was over, was^ about to follow her 
as well as his torn and ragged sails would enable him, when he 
learned that all the rigging of the mainmast had been shot away, 
and that the mast was tottering. The men were called to repair 
the rigging and secure the mast ; but it was too late, they could 
not save it. The officer of the maintop was James Jarvis, the 
youngest midshipman on board the ship. With him was an 
old blue-jacket, who told him of the danger they were in 
because the mast must surely go. But little Jarvis had been 
stationed by his captain in the top, and he only answered : 
" I cannot leave my station ; if the mast goes, we must go 
with it." 

So the mast fell ; and Jarvis, the midshipman who would not 
leave his post, fell with it and was killed, — the only officer who 
perished in the action. 

The "Constellation's" loss, all told, was forty killed and 
wounded. The " Vengeance," which she had so nearly captured, 
arrived a few days later at Curasao in great distress, and almost 
a wreck. 

In memory of this great battle, one of the most obstinate 
that our navy ever fought. Congress passed a resolution which 
should be read by all who care that gallant deeds should be 
remembered. This was the resolution : — 



102 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



" Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Conuress assembled, That the President of the 
United States be requested to present to Captain Thomas Truxtun a 
golden medal, emblematical of the late action between the United States 
frigate ' Constellation,' of thirty-eight guns, and the French ship-of-war 
' La Vengeance,' of fifty-four, in testimony of the high sense enter- 
tained by Congress of his gallantry and good conduct in the above 
engagement, wherein an example was exhibited by the captain, officers, 
sailors, and marines, honorable to the American name, and instructive 
to its rising navy. 

" And it is further Resolved, That the conduct of James Jarvis, a 
midshipman in said frigate, Avho gloriously preferred certain death to an 
abandonment of his post, is deserving of the highest praise, and that the 
loss of so promising an officer is a subject of national regret." 




THOMAS TKUXTUN, FROM MEDAL VOTED BY CONGKESS. 



The active occupations of the navy in the West Indies con- 
tinued for the next eight months, its last important capture being 
the fine corvette " Berceau," which yielded after a two hours' 
fight to Captain Little, in the "Boston." Already, a month 



HOSTILITIES WITH FRANCHl 103 

before, the treaty with France had been concluded, and after it 
was ratified, a vessel was sent to the station with orders of recall 
for the whole squadron. During its service there it had taken 
or destroyed over ninety French vessels, mounting in all more 
than seven hundred guns, and had recaptured numbers of Ameri- 
cans. Among its trophies there were the frigate '' Insurgente " 
and the corvette " Berceau," and not the least splendid chapter 
in its record was the long battle between the ''Constellation" 
and the " Vengeance ; " while in the two years but one ship had 
been lost, — the little schooner " Retaliation," and that was only 
a recapture. 

It was this work of the navy which gained us the respect of 
France, from which State we had hitherto received only threats 
and insolence; and it teaches us the lesson that it is to our 
navy that we must always look in times like these to secure 
for us a proper treatment and consideration from domineering 
foreign powers. It would be well for us Americans, especially 
those who are ready to cry down the navy, to take to heart 
these words of the President, which he said in November, 1800, 
but which are just as true to-day, and which will be true to the 
end of time : — 

" Seasonable and systematic arrangements, so far as our resources 
will justify, for a navy adapted to defensive war, which may, in case of 
necessity, be quickly brought into use, seem to be as much recom- 
mended by a wise and true economy as by a just regard for our future 
tranquillity, for the safety of our shores, and for the protection of oui- 
property committed to the ocean." 



CHAPTER VII. 




TRIPOLI. 

iHE truth of President Adams's words 
was shown the very next year after 
they were uttered, when new dfficulties arose 
with the Barbary Powers. We have seen 
how the old difficulties with Algiers had been 
settled, at least for a time, by a treaty which 
cost the Government a million. Under this 
treaty we agreed to send every year to the Dey of Algiers a 
present of naval stores of the value of twelve thousand sequins, 
or about twenty thousand dollars. In the autumn of 1800 this 
present — or tribute, as it was well called, for it was little else 
than a tribute — was carried to Algiers by the ship " George 
Washington," commanded by Captain Bainbridge. While his 
ship was lying in the port, the Dey commanded Bainbridge to 
go to Constantinople with an Algerine ambassador and presents 
for the Sultan of Turkey ; for Algiers was then a vassal of the 
Ottoman Porte, although the Porte allowed the Dey to do much 
as he pleased in most things. It was a grievous outrage that 
a ship of the United States should be compelled to do such 
a service for a barbarian prince; but there is no doubt that 
Bainbridge chose the better part in complying with the demand. 



TRIPOLI. 105 

Though sometimes rash in war, he was wise and prudent in 
diplomacy ; and as our Government, by yielding to the clamor 
of the Algerines for tribute, instead of chastising them for 
their outrageous conduct, had pointed out tlie line of action 
that it meant to follow, Bainbridge was right in conforming to 
the same rule. If he refused, unnumbered evils might happen : 
our unprotected commerce would be swept away ; more of our 
countrymen would be captured and enslaved, or kept for years 
confined in dungeons; and fresh payments "must be made for 
ransom. So he went to Constantinople. 

It was then the rule — and it still is, for that matter — that 
foreign ships-of-war wishing to enter the Turkish straits of the 
Dardanelles and Bosphorus must first ask and receive permission 
from the Sultan. Bainbridge, who felt that he had had enough 
humiliation on the voyage, did not stop for this, but passing by 
the forts at night, anchored unannounced in the harbor of Con- 
stantinople ; and here he lay, flying a strange flag which no one 
in the place had ever seen borne by a ship of war. 

A Turkish officer w^as sent off to find out to whom this new 
craft belonged, and Bainbridge in reply told him, " the United 
States." When this was translated by the interpreter, and re- 
ported to the Turkish officials on shore, they shook their heads, 
— thinking the national appellation somewhat vague, as perhaps 
it is, — and sent a second time to gain more definite information. 
Bainbridg;e now answered that he came from " the New World." 
This statement seemed greatly to impress the Turks, and the ship 
was piloted into the inner port, and Captain Bainbridge and his 
officers were treated thereafter with deep respect, as was becom- 
ing toward any one who came from so remarkable a region. 



106 ' THE BOYS OF 1812. 

When the '' George Washington " had fulfilled her mission 
and had returned to Algiers, the captain found that the Dey 
had suddenly declared war against France, and had ordered all 
the French in his dominions to be put in prison. The foreign 
consuls, seconded by Bainbridge, implored the Dey to revoke his 
cruel order ; and they were so far successful that he consented to 
put off its execution for forty-eight hours. But the Dey swore 
by his beard that if every soul — man, woman, and child — that 
belonged to France had not departed by that time from his 
territories, he would put in irons those that remained. The 
'' George Washington " was at the moment the only ship in the 
harbor, and she was shifting ballast in the mole. But Bain- 
bridge would not leave the Frenchmen to their fate ; and hy 
working night and day witli all his officers and men he got the 
ship ready, took the fugitives on board, and sailed away, glad 
to get out of the clutches of this Oriental despot. He had no 
time to spare ; for in less than an hour after his departure the 
limit had expired. Sixty Frenchmen were thus rescued by the 
captain's efforts, and after a short passage they were safely 
landed at Alicant, and the '' George Washington " returned 
home. 

About this time a new and very serious trouble began with 
another of the Barbary powers. This was Tripoli. When the 
Pasha of Tripoli had made his treaty with the United States 
some years before, he had received a large amount of money, but 
no agreement had been made for tribute. As soon, however, 
as the Pasha found that the Americans were sending every year 
a shipload of presents to Algiers, of whose power he was always 
jealous, he became enraged, beyond all bounds ; and he wrote to 



TRiroLi. 107 

the President insolent letters demanding money and arms and 
naval stores. In one of these he said : — 

" We could wish that these your expressions were followed by deeds, 
and not by empty words. You will therefore endeavor to satisfy us by a 
good manner of proceeding. We on our part will correspond with you 
with equal friendship, as well in words as deeds. But if only flattering- 
words are meant, without performance, every one will act as he finds 
convenient," 

As no attention was paid to these demands, the Pasha an- 
nounced to the American consul that he would declare war ; 
•' For paid I will be," he said, " in one way or another." The 
consul tried to smooth over the difficulty, but without success ; 
and on the 14th of May, 1801, just a week after Bainbridge had 
landed the French refugees at Alicant, the Pasha cut down the 
flagstaff of the American consulate at Tripoli, by which act he 
declared war against the United States. 

It had been known at home for some time that trouble was 
brewing at Tripoli, and as the French \var was now entirely 
over, a squadron was at this very time fitting out to go to the 
Mediterranean. It was connnanded by Com. Richard Dale, that 
gallant veteran of the Revolution who had been the first lieu- 
tenant of the '' Bon Homme Richurd " in her fight with the 
" Serapis." But in this cruise Commodore Dale, though he had 
a good squadron, was not allowed to show what he could accom- 
plish ; because, although Tripoli had declared war, Congress had 
not yet recognized the fact, and the President was of the opinion 
that until Congress had passed an act making a declaration, the 
navy could not carry on war against a foreign State. The com- 
modore was therefore prevented by his orders from capturing 



108 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

any prizes or prisoners ; and from this singular arrangement it 
resulted, as might be expected, that nothing of any great impor- 
tance was accomplished. 

One event, however, took place in August of this year which 
at least showed the Tripolitans that war with the Americans was 
no child's play. That fine little schooner the "Enterprise," 
which had done such good service in the West Indies, was one of 
the ships of Commodore Dale's squadron, under the command 
of Lieutenant Sterrett. While cruising about in the Mediter- 
ranean, on the lookout for pirates, she chanced upon a Tripolitan 
polacca called the " Tripoli," of about the same force and size. 
The Rais or captain who commanded the polacca, Mahomet 
Sous, thought he would try the mettle of the American schooner, 
and made a furious attack upon her. The Tripolitans fight 
desperately ; for they are little better than cut-throats, and, as 
their Pasha says, war is their trade. But they have not the 
skill of the Americans. Sterrett placed his schooner where he 
pleased. When the battle had fairly begun, he took the offen- 
sive himself ; he attacked the enemy on her quarter, on her bow ; 
he raked her fore and aft. After a bloody fight the " Tripoli " 
had received several shot in her side, and was badly cut up in 
her rigging. Then she hauled down her flag. The crew of the 
" Enterprise " left their guns, and gave three cheers, thinking 
that the victory was won. But the Tripolitans, though brave, 
were treacherous villains, and no sooner was their enemy off his 
guard than they hoisted their flag again and opened fire on the 
'* Enterprise." So the battle began anew. This time the Turks 
attempted to board, crowding on the Tail with their scimitars. 
But they were driven back, and again they made a pretence of 



TRIPOLI. Ill 

surrendering, only to renew the fight at the first favorable 
moment. 

The American blue-jackets were now in no humor for trifling. 
Their blood was up, for they were indignant at such unheard-of 
treachery, and it looked as if there would be no question to settle 
about prisoners, for the reason that none of the Tripolitans 
would be left alive. But the polacca was by this time in a sink- 
ing condition, her mizzen-mast was shot away, her deck was 
slippery with blood, and the dead and wounded were lying 
about in heaps ; and the Rais, Mahomet, himself wounded and 
disheartened, convinced that the time had come when neitlier 
ferocity nor fraud could help him, threw his flag into the sea 
and prostrated himself upon the rail, begging for quarter. Then 
Lieutenant Sterrett, who was as generous as he was gallant, 
ordered the firing to cease and took possession of the enemy. 

As the polacca could not be made a prize, the Americans cut 
away her masts, threw overboard her guns, and left her with 
the surviving fragment of her crew to make the best of her way 
back to Tripoli. Upon her arrival, the Pasha was so incensed 
at the news of her defeat that he had the Rais, wounded as he 
was, mounted on a jackass and paraded up and down the streets 
of the city, after which he was given five hundred blows of the 
bastinado. Such was the result of the first fight between the 
Americans and their piratical enemy, and it was a long time 
l)efore the latter forgot the lesson. 

By the autumn of 1801 the terms of enlistment of Dale's 
crews having nearly expired, his shijDS were ordered home, and in 
the next spring a new squadron was sent out under Connnodore 
Richard Morris, Congress having meantime passed an act that 



112 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

was to all intents a declaration of war. But the new commo- 
dore was not an energetic man, nor did he seem to concern him- 
self much about what was to be done ; and a whole year was 
passed bv the scjuadron in fruitless cruises among the Mediter- 
ranean ports, sometimes convoying merchantmen, sometimes 
merely lying in harbor, but doing little or nothing against the 
enemy. At the end of this time the President found it necessary 
to replace Commodore Morris by a more active man ; and in 
the summer of 1803 he was ordered home, and upon his arrival 
was dismissed the service. 

Already the Government had determined to fit out a new 
squadron, and to take more vigorous measures against Tripoli ; 
for the people were rightly impatient at the dallying which had 
prolonged through two years this war with a little barbarian 
State, and it was against the navy that this impatience was 
mainly directed. Strange as it may seem, party feeling had run 
so high that the gallant exploits of the French war were thought 
by man}" Americans to be the bad results of a mistaken policy, 
rather than a source of pride and satisfaction to the country ; 
and the officers and seamen of the navy, who were then and 
who lia^e always been the single-minded and devoted servants 
of the people, were looked upon simply as the instruments of an 
odious party that meanly cringed to England and sought to 
embroil us in a war with France. In the last general election 
this party had been defeated and broken up, and the navy came 
in for a large share of the popular condemnation ; which, as Ave 
at this day can clearly see. was exceedingly unjust to the brave 
men who composed the service. 

Whatever men may have thought and said about the navy, it 



TRIPOLI. 113 

was evident that nothing but a naval war would bring Tripoli to 
terms, and the Government set about the work in earnest. 
Four new ships were built, which, though they were small, were 
well suited to their purpose, — the brigs "Argus" and " Siren," 
and the schooners " Nautilus" and '' Vixen." Two of the larger 
frigates were sent out, — the '' Constitution " forty-four, and the 
'' Philadelphia " thirty-eight, the latter commanded by Captain 
Bainbridge ; and last, but not least, one vessel of the old squad- 
ron remained, the schooner '• Enterprise," which had already 
made herself famous under Sterrett, but which was to acquire 
still greater fame under Lieut. Stephen Decatur, who now com- 
manded her. 

The new squadron was strong in its ships, but its efficiency 
was mainly due to the officer who was ordered to take the chief 
command. Com. Edward Preble. Although not an old man, he was 
one of the few veterans of the Revolution that were still in the 
service ; and though he had been a mere lad when he first sailed 
as a midshipman in the Revolutionary cruisers of Massachusetts, 
he had served throughout the war, and had learned well the 
lessons of naval discipline. What Paul Jones was in that war, 
and what Truxtun was in the West Indies, Preble became in the 
campaign against Tripoli, — the central figure of the war. He 
had around him the best and bravest of the vounsi: officers of 
the new navy, — as good as any navy the world has ever seen, 
but up to this time untried and unknown, — and it was Preble 
who in great measure made tliem what they afterward became. 

Among the first of the new vessels to come out was the 
"^ Philadelphia." She had no sooner arrived in the Mediterra- 
nean than she made a most unexpected discovery. She had left 



114 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



Gibraltar to search for some Tripolitans that were reported to be 
cruising somewhere off the coast of Spain. One evening after 
dark, off Cape de Gatt, she fell in with two vessels, — a ship and 
a brig. Captain Bainbridge hailed the ship, which proved to be 

the '^Mirboka," a 
cruiser of Morocco ; 
and allowing her to 
suppose tliat he was 
English, Bainbridge 
ordered her to send 
him her passports. 
The Moorish officer 
who came on board 
the '• Philadelphia " 
fell into the snare^ 
and tuld Bainbridge 
that the brig which 
he had witli him 
was an American. 
This was an extraor- 
dinary piece of news, 
for Morocco was 
then at peace with 
the United States ; 
yet here was one of her ships-of-war preying on American com- 
merce. The Moors must have thought that a State which could 
not protect its vessels from the attacks of Tripoli need not be 
much respected, and that the time was ripe for them to take 
a hand in the plundering which their neighbors were carrying 




COMMODOlii: EDWAUD TREBLE. 



TRIPOLI. 115 

on with such success and profit ; so tliey liad sent out their 
cruisers, and this was the first that bad made a prize. Tlie 
captured ship was the brig '' Celia," of Boston, whose crew and 
captain were at that moment confined in the '• Mirboka's " hokl, 
to be carried to Morocco and sokl as slaves or lield for ransom. 
Fortunately Captain Bainbridge had arrived just in time to 
rescue the prisoners ; and seizing tli(3 " Mirboka," he took her 
with him to Gibraltar. 

This was the state of affairs wlien a few weeks later Commo- 
dore Preble, with the " Constitution," came out to take command 
of the squadron. He saw the situation at a glance,, and he was 
not a man to hesitate long about taking action. If the Moors, 
who had seaports on the Atlantic, were not put down and the 
strait opened, it would be of no great use to clear the inland 
sea of pirates. The commodore immediately assembled all his 
shij)s, gave them orders to capture every Moorish vessel they 
could find, and himself proceeded in the "Constitution" directly 
to Tangier, in Morocco. The Emperor was expected to arrive 
here shortly with his army. He sent to know whether Preble 
would fire a salute in his honor. The commodore sent back his 
answer by the consul. 

"As you think," said he, '"• it will gratify his imperial Majesty, 
I shall salute him and dress ship ; and if he is not disposed to 
be pacific, I will salute him again ! " 

The resolute tone which Preble took in this and other com- 
munications had the desired effect. In three days after the 
Emperor arrived he had consented to renew the treaty his father 
had made with the United States, and had ordered the release 
of all the Americans that had been seized, tos-ether with their 



116 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

property. At the same time the orders which had been given 
to capture American vessels were revoked ; whereupon Preble 
restored the "' Mirboka," and withdrew his own order to seize 
the vessels of Morocco. This done, he sailed for Tripoli. 

Already the " Philadelphia," with the schooner '•' Vixen " in 
company, had taken her station before the enemy's port, and 
preparations were made to maintain a strict blockade. It 
needed two vessels at least for this service ; for if any accident 
happened to one alone, she would certainly be lost, being so far 
from help and close to the watchful guards of the enemy's 
harbor. Nevertheless, immediately after his arrival Captain 
Bainbridge heard from a Neapolitan merchantman that one of 
the enemy's corsairs had sailed the day before, and he sent the 
" Vixen " off to lind her. 

Next day, it being the olst of October, a Tripolitan vessel 
was descried to the eastward of the city, attempting to work 
into the harbor. Captain Bainbridge at once gave chase. The 
wily Tripolitan kept on his course, not far from the shore, where 
he knew the water was full of reefs and sunken rocks wdiich he 
could easily avoid, but which he hoped might prove a trap for 
his unsuspecting enemy. And so it came about ; for the cap- 
tain, whose zeal, as we have already seen, was sometimes greater 
than his prudence, forgetting the dangers of the treacherous 
coast, followed the Tripolitan, with a fair breeze and a good 
eight-knot speed, until suddenly the water began to shoal. Then 
realizing for the first time his peril, he turned his vessel's head off 
shore. But it was now too late ; and an instant later the •' Phila- 
delphia " had shot up on a sunken reef, where she hung hard and 
fast, her great stem and bowsprit pointing upward in the air. 




" HE CUT AWAY THE ANCHORS, . . . BUT STILL THE SHIi' HUNG FAST. 



TRIPOLI. 110 

Even now the captain did not lose his confidence, and setting 
all sail he tried to force the vessel over ; but this only had the 
effect of thrusting her higher on the rocks, and making escape 
more hopeless than ever. It was clear that this plan would not 
work. The boats were then sent out with leadsmen, wh(j found 
deep water astern of the ship, and the yards were braced aback, 
and every one watched anxiously to see if she would not back 
off ; but she did not move an inch. Then Bainbridge tried to 
lighten her. He cut away the anchors and threw overboard the 
forward guns, but still the ship hung fast. 

Meantime the enemy discovered that their stratagem had 
proved successful, and word having been sent to the city, the Tri- 
politan galleys could now be seen in motion, evidently preparing to 
make an attack upon the helpless frigate. Soon they came out 
in a long line, their white lateen sails glistening in the after- 
noon sunlight, and their decks crowded with men eager for the 
splendid prize that chance and craft, combined with their oppo- 
nent's over-confidence, had thrown within their reach. But they 
were wary, and they remembered the lesson which Sterrett had 
given them, that the Americans were stubborn fighters, and this 
time they meant to run no risks. Taking up their positions on 
the stern and quarter of the '' Philadelphia," at a little distance, 
where no guns could be brought to bear on them, they opened 
fire with their heavy cannon ; for each of these gunboats carried 
a long eighteen or twenty-four pounder in her bow, and the 
whole flotilla was a hostile force not to be despised even l)y a 
ship that could manoeuvre. 

As it was, the " Philadelphia " had heeled over, and the few 
guns that remained on board were useless, even after great holes 



120 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

had been cut with axes in her side to enable the crews to point 
them. The enemy fired high and only cut the spars and rig- 
ging ; but all the same their ultimate success was sure if the 
ship could not get off the reef. In spite of the shot that rained 
upon them, the officers did not relax their efforts. The tanks 
of water in the hold were pumped out, and finally the foremast 
was cut away, carrying with it the main top-gallant mast But 
it was all of no use, for the ship obstinately refused to budge ; and 
as the sun was sinking in the horizon. Captain Bainbridge, to 
prevent what seemed likely to be a useless sacrifice of men, 
hauled down his colors. 

No sooner was the fiag lowered than the Tripolitans, setting 
up a shout, rowed quickly to the frigate and swarmed on board, 
over the rail and through every port-hole. Then there was a 
scene which has never before or since been witnessed upon an 
American ship-of-war. The pirates, intent first of all on plun- 
der, looted every chest and locker in the ship. Nor did they 
stop here. The officers were forced to give them all that the}' 
demanded, and like so many highway robbers they took watches, 
epaulets, money ; and when all the valuables were given up, 
coats, waistcoats, and cravats, until all the prisoners were 
stripped to their shirts and trousers. In this condition they 
were thrust into the boats and carried to the city. Here they 
were taken before the Pasha, who was so much elated by his 
capture that he received them in high good-humor, and as he 
counted over the number, — three hundred and seven officers and 
men, — he stroked his beard, and his avaricious eyes glistened as 
he thought of the heavy ransom that the United States would 
have to pay him before it could get them back. So he ordered 



TRIPOLI. 121 

tlieni to be well cared for, and sent the officers to be quartered 
in the buildmu' which before the war had been the American 
consulate, where they were to remain dui'ing many months 
of captivity. 

It was bad enough that so many officers and men should have 
been taken ; but the mischief did not end here. For the next 
two days the Tripolitans worked away at the grounded frigate 
with their gunboats and lighters, and anchors carried out with 
hawsers from the stern ; and by these means, with the help of 
favoring wind and tide, they at last succeeded in getting the 
"^ Philadelphia " off" into deep water. Bainbridge, before he 
abandoned her, had ordered the carpenters to bore holes in her 
l)ottom ; and if this had been well done, she would never have 
got afloat again. But the carpenters in their excitement and 
flurry had only half performed their task, and the ship was 
now in the enemy's hands in as good, condition, barring a little 
needed repair, as she was before the accident. Even the anchors 
and guns which had been thrown overboard were discovered 
lying on the reef, where the water w^as only twelve feet deep, 
and the Tripolitans got them up without much trouble. 

Meantime Commodore Preble, having despatched his business 
at Morocco to the great satisfaction of his Government, was now 
on his way to Tripoli in the -' Constitution." Falling in one day 
with the British frigate " Minerva," he received the first news 
of the disaster ; and going directly to Malta, he found there a 
letter from Captain Bainbridge confirming the report. It was 
a staggering blow to all his hopes at the very outset of his com- 
mand. The Tripolitans, w4io had already become tired of the 



122 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

war and of the annoyances of the blockade, and whom he had 
hoped by resolute attacks speedily to overawe into submission, 
were encouraged by this their first great success to renewed 
efforts. Not only would they stand more firmly to their pre- 
vious demands for tribute, but they woidd clamor for an enor- 
mous ransom for the three hundred prisoners ; and unless they 
could be utterly crushed, they would get it, for they had the 
prisoners in their power, and in some way or other those three 
hundred Americans must be set free. The squadron, none too 
powerful at the beginning, had now lost one of its two principal 
vessels, and the force of the enemy was correspondingly in- 
creased. No wonder that Commodore Preble, writing to tlie 
Department of the loss of the frigate, should say in the bitter- 
ness of his heart, " It distresses me beyond description." But 
however great his distress, he never yielded to despondency, and 
the loss only urged him on to greater efforts to" harass and reduce 
the enemy. 

For the next two months the commodore and all the ships 
of his squadron were busy making preparations for the coming 
campaign. The first blow to be struck was against the captured 
frigate, and Preble resolved upon her destruction from the very 
moment when he heard of her loss. But he bided his time, 
patiently waiting until a good opportunity should arrive. Mean- 
while a rendezvous for the squadron was established at Syracuse. 
The " Arg;us " was stationed at Gibraltar, to watch the Moors 
and guard the strait. The other ships were cruising about from 
point to point, giving protection and convoy to American ves- 
sels, and seizing any Tripolitan vessels they could find, though 
there were few of them that dared to venture out. About 



TRIPOLI. 123 

Christmas-time the " Enterprise " fell in with one of these craft, 
a ketch named the " Mastico," which was on her way to Con- 
stantinople with slaves on board, — a present from the Pasha to 
his master the Sultan. The slaves were not a capture of much 
benefit to the commodore, but the ketch was ; for she had once 
been a French gunboat, and he saw how she might be of service 
in carrying out his most cherished scheme. So he made a tender 
of her and called her the " Intrepid." 

All this time the prisoners at Tripoli were not forgotten. 
The Danish • consul in the city, a kind-hearted and generous 
man, Nissen by name, was pleased to do all that he could to 
help the Americans. Through him Preble and Bainbridge were 
enabled to get letters to and from each other, and supplies 
were sent from Malta through an agency established there 
by the commodore. The secret parts of the letters were 
written in sympathetic ink, so that one only saw the writing 
when the letter was held before a fire. In tliis way the com- 
mander of the squadron was kept informed of all that went on 
in Tripoli, as far as Bainbridge knew it ; and Bainbridge in his 
turn was much cheered by getting word from time to time that 
his friends outside had not forgotten him. He needed it badly, 
for what with the loss of his ship, and the gloomy prospect of 
a long captivity, he was at this time in great despondency ; so 
that it did him good to hear from Preble the words the latter 
wrote in January from Malta : " Keep up your spirits, and 
despair not ;. recollect ' there 's a sweet little cherub that sits up 
aloft'!" 

When Preble returned to Syracuse after this visit to Malta, 
he had completed his plan for the destruction of the " Philadel- 



124 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

pliia." Lieutenant Decatur, of the '' Enterprise," had volunteered 
to command the expedition ; and although he was very young, 
and had been only five years at sea, no better man could have 
been chosen than this gallant and true-hearted officer. He 
was to take the '' Intrepid," whose Tripolitan rig would make a 
good disguise, and whose small size would enable her safely to 
navigate those dangerous waters, and with seventy-five officers 
and men to attack the frigate. The "Siren" was to go with him 
to support and cover his retreat. It was a perilous enterprise ; 
almost rash, one would think, for the " Philadelphia" was lying 
fully armed and manned in the inner harbor, under the guns of 
the Pasha's castle and all the neighboring forts, and around her 
lay the galleys of the enemy's flotilla. Decatur took three other 
lieutenants, Lawrence, Joseph Bainbridge, wiiose brother was in 
prison in Tripoli, and Thorn ; and six midshipmen were told off 
to go with them. Among these last were Thomas McDonough, 
who afterward won the great battle of Lake Champlain in the 
war with Great Britain, and Charles Morris, who in the same 
war was first lieutenant of the " Constitution " in her fight with 
the " Guerriere." Morris was at this time a boy of nineteen ; 
and I shall tell the story of the attack as nearly as may be in 
his words. 

A Maltese pilot, Catalano, who knew the harbor of Tripoli, 
and who could speak the language, had been engaged to go with 
the expedition. When the two vessels arrived off Tripoli, the 
wind was fresh and the sky lowering, and all seemed to threaten 
a storm. The "Siren" and "Intrepid" anchored under cover 
of the night, and Morris and the pilot were sent in with a boat 
to see if the passage to the harbor was safe, of which the pilot 



TRIPOLI. 125 

was doubtful. They found the surf breaking in a long line of 
foaming waves across the entrance, and Morris coming back 
reported that it would be dangerous to make the attempt. " It 
was a severe trial," said the poor boy, " to make such a report. 
I had heard many of the ofhcers treat the doubts of the pilot as 
the offspring of apprehension, and the weather was not yet so 
decidedly boisterous as to render it certain that an attempt 
might not be made, notwithstanding our report ; should such be 
the case, and should it succe,ed, the imputations upon the pilot 
might be repeated upon me, and, unknown as I was, might be 
the cause of my ruin in the estimation of my brother officers." 
Still, in spite of their murmurs of dissatisfaction, Morris, being 
a brave and independent lad, stood firm in his opinion, and the 
attempt was given up. 

It was well that this was done ; for before morning a furious 
gale had come up, and the ships, with difficult}^ getting away 
from the shore, were driven far to the eastward. For six days 
the storm continued, the officers and men being all this time 
cooped up in the little ketch with hardly room to breathe, and 
overrun with vermin which the slaves had left behind them. 
The midshipmen slept on the top of the water-casks on the lower 
deck, while the sailors were berthed in the same way in the 
hold. 

At last the wind abated, and on the IGth of February the ships 
were once more in sight of Tripoli. The breeze was light and 
the sea smooth, and the " Intrepid " stood in slowly toward the 
town. The "Siren" stayed outside to lull suspicion; but in spite 
of all precautions she was seen and noticed from the harbor. 
The plan was for the " Siren's " boats to come in after dark and 



12G THE BOYS OF 1812. 

join in the attack. All through the afternoon the " Intrepid " 
kept on sailing slowly in, her drags in the water astern checking 
her headway so that she might not reach the town too early. 
Her crew remained below, that no suspicion might be roused by 
the unusual numbers, and only six or eight, dressed as Maltese, 
were allowed to come on deck. As the sun went down, the 
breeze grew fainter ; and Decatur, fearing that if he delayed 
longer he might not be able with the light wind to reach the 
frigate, decided that he would not wait for the " Siren's " 
boats, saying to his officers, like Henry V. at Agincourt, " The 
fewer the number, the greater will be the honor." 

It was now dark, and the lights could be seen glittering in 
the houses of the town and on the boats in the harbor, throw- 
ing bright reflections over the water. The last preparations 
were made on board the " Intrepid," and the officers, speaking in 
low tones, told each man once more his allotted duties, and 
cautioned all to steadiness and silence. The watchword for the 
night was " Philadelphia," by which they were to recognize one 
another in the confusion of the attack. There was no need to 
enjoin silence, for each man was busy with his own thoughts. 
"My own," said Morris, ,"were now reverting to friends at 
home, now to the perils we were about to meet. Should I be 
able to justify the expectations of the former by meeting prop- 
erly the dangers of the latter ? " These thoughts, mixed with 
calculations to get a good place in boarding, were passing through 
the minds of all as they waited in breathless expectation. 

Gradually the " Intrepid " was borne along by the gentle 
breeze toward the inner basin. Her boat was towed astern. 
The young moon gave light enough to show her movements. 




THE LIGHTS COULD BE SEEN OLTTTERING IN THE HOUSES. 



TRIPOLI. 129 

but nothing could be seen upon her deck except Decatur and the 
pilot standing at the wheel, and here and there a man whose 
Maltese cap and jersey gave no indication of his hostile charac- 
ter. From end to end of the little ship the rest of the crew, 
crouching under the shadow of the bulwarks, were lying con- 
cealed from view, each man with his eye fixed on Decatur, 
waiting for him to give the order. Before them could be seen 
the white walls of the city and the forts. 

The first battery is now passed in silence, every man holding 
his breath. Right in the path of the " Intrepid " towers the 
'' Philadelphia,", with her great black hull and lofty spars, and 
around her lies the circle of batteries. The little craft speeds 
on noiselessly, steering directly for the frigate. Suddenly 
the anxious silence is broken by a hail from the enemy de- 
manding the name and purpose of the ketch, and ordering her 
to keep aw^ay. Among the officers and men stretched on the 
deck can be seen the eager movements of heads bending forward 
to hear the colloquy. The pilot, speaking the language of the 
country, answers for Decatur, who prompts him in low tones. 
He says that he has lost his anchors in the gale, — which, as it 
happened, was the truth, — and asks to be allowed to run a 
hawser to the frigate and to ride by her during the night. To 
this the captain of the '' Philadelphia" consents, and the ketch 
is approaching, when suddenly the wind shifts, blowing lightly 
from the ship, and leaves the " Intrepid " at rest not twenty 
yards away, motionless under the enemy's guns. 

It is a moment of terrible suspense. The least mistake, the 
least disturbance or excitement, must mean detection, and de- 
tection now will seal the fate of all. But Decatur has that 



130 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

perfect calmness and clearness of judgment which is the highest 
bravery. There is no flurry. In his low quiet voice he orders 
the boat manned. His calmness calms the men, and with an 
air of lazy indolence they get in and take the oars, carrying a 
rope to another boat which meets them from the frigate. The 
work is done in silence ; the ends are fastened, and the boat 
returns. The hawser is passed along the deck ; the crew lying 
on it pull noiselessly, and the ketch slowly, slowly but surely, 
nears her place and lies fast alongside the enemy. 

Suddenly a piercing cry breaks the stillness. "Americanos ! 
The Americans are upon us ! " The enemy has now discovered 
the disguise. But at the same moment Decatur's voice is heard 
rinsfino; out, " Board ! " and he and Morris, who has been watch- 
ing him, leap to the enemy's deck. Springing to their feet as 
one man, the crew follow them, each with his cutlass and pistol. 
The Tripolitans are panic-struck; for a moment they huddle 
in a frightened crowd on the forecastle. One instant Decatur 
pauses to form his men, and then at their head he dashes at the 
enemy. The few who stay to offer resistance are cut down : 
one is made prisoner ; the rest, driven to the bow, leap from the 
rail into the water. 

The ship is now captured, and the victorious crew hurry to 
their appointed stations. Two parties are told off to the berth- 
deck, one to the forward store-rooms, and one under Morris to 
the cockpit. Each prepares its supply of combustibles, and when 
all is reported ready, the order is given to set fire. This done, 
each party leaves the ship, but Morris and his men barely escape 
through the smoke and flame with which the lower deck is 
already filled. Decatur, standing on the Philadelphia's rail, 




THE ' PHILADELPHIA ' LIGHTS THEM ON" THEIR WAY, 



TRIPOLI. 133 

while the smoke rises around him and the flames are bursting 
from her ports, waits till the last man has returned, and as the 
" Intrepid' s " head swings off, he leaps into her rigging. 

By this time all the Tripolitans have caught the alarm, and 
from batteries and gunboats in quick succession, all around the 
wide sweep of the harbor, are seen the sudden jets of flame fol- 
lowed by clouds of smoke, and the shores resound with the roar 
of cannon. One hundred guns are firing upon the little ketch, 
whose white sails are lighted up by the flames of the bm^ning 
frigate. The harbor is a circle of fire, and the gallant band 
seem doomed to pay the penalty of rashness. The frigate is 
herself a source of danger, for her magazine must soon explode. 
But the crew of the " Intrepid," after giving three rousing cheers 
for their success, man the long sweeps and head their vessel 
seawards. The *•' Philadelphia," which reveals them to the 
enemy, lights them on their way. Her appearance is magnifi- 
cent. The flames illuminate her ports, and mounting up the 
rigging and masts form columns of fire, which, meeting the tops, 
branch out in beautiful capitals. Behind her, thrown out into 
strong light by the burning ship, are the city walls and roofs, 
with dome and minaret rising above them, — bright points 
against the sky. 

The guns of the " Philadelphia " commanding the harbor 
have been loaded and double-shotted. As the fire reaches them 
they are discharged, but their missiles do more injury among 
the Tripolitans than among their foes. The " Intrepid " seems 
to bear a charmed life under the converging fire of the enemy. 
The cannon-balls fall thickly in the water, ahead, astern, along- 
side, throwing up columns of spray ; but only one shot touches 



134 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

her, and all the harm that does is to make a hole in her top- 
gallant-sail. A favoring breeze now springs up, and aided by 
the strong arms of the rowers at their sweeps, the ketch is car- 
ried out of range, and in a short time she has reached the open 
sea and joined her consort. 



'^Q^^^W^ 



Meantime in the squadron lying at Syracuse the officers and 
men, and above all the commodore, had undergone profound 
anxiety. It had been thought that a week, or ten days at 
most, would be sufficient time for the two vessels to accomplish 
their work and return to the station. But as the time wore on 
and day after day passed by, the hopes of all began to turn 
to apprehension ; for no one knew that for a week after they 
reached the enemy's coast the "Siren" and ''Intrepid" had 
been driving about before the gale, their efforts for the moment 
directed only against the elements. Each day the horizon was 
scanned by the lookouts aloft, and as the second week came to 
an end with no sign of the expedition, the most hopeful shook 
their heads, and all were filled with a sense of dull foreboding. 
But on the morning of the fifteenth day the fleet was startled 
by the cry of " Sail ho ! " from the mast-head, and every face 
peered anxiously toward the southern horizon. First one ship 
was seen, then two ; and as they came nearer, and little by little 
their spars and rig could be distinguished, the hope that they 
might prove to be the missing vessels grew slowly into certainty. 



TRIPOLI. 



135 



Now a signal could be descried from the "Siren's" mast-head. 
What did it mean ? Was it success, or failure ? At length 
there was no doubt; and when from alternations of despair 
and hope the news was spread that Decatur had successfully 
achieved his purpose, and that the " Philadelphia " was indeed 
destroyed, the men's 
excitement knew no 
bounds, and cheer upon 
cheer of welcome and 
of exultation went up 
from all the vessels. 

One thing is cer- 
tain : that no exploit 
of our navy since that 
time has surpassed in 
bravery and finished 
excellence this of Deca- 
tur, — " the most bold 
and daring act of the 
age," as it was called \^-v.-:r^^^^:^^SSI^^^^^^^^^^ii^^r^:/i^^ 



by Nelson, then com- 
manding the fleet off 
.Toulon. The commo- 
dore wrote his despatch to the Department, asking that Decatur 
might immediately be raised to the same grade as himself; 
and when the Government heard the news, it lost no time in 
granting Preble's generous request. In this way it came about 
that young Decatur, though barely five-and-twenty, became 
a post-captain in the navy, which he had entered less than six 




STEPHEN UECATUK. 



136 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

years before; and among all the officers of Preble's squadron, 
who were in all things like a band of brothers, there was not 
one that grudged him his promotion. 



^<2^F^®V^ 



After the destruction of the " Philadelphia " the commodore 
desisted for the time from further enterprises ; for it was now 
midwinter, and at this stormy season the dangers of the rocky 
coast made it imprudent to attempt active operations against the 
enemy. But there was no slackening in preparations for the 
campaign of the next summer, and meantime the blockade was 
maintained with strictness. By this means was captured a brig 
of sixteen guns which belonged to the Tripolitan consul at 
Malta, and which was seeking to smuggle powder and other 
contraband into the enemy's port. The prize was re-named the 
" Scourge " and taken into the service, making a useful addition 
to the squadron. 

All this time the commodore was on tlie alert, — at Syracuse, 
Messina, Malta, Naples, as occasion called him, but never long 
in one place. At one time he appeared off Tripoli and gave the 
Pasha an opportunity to reduce his terms ; but the Pasha, sulk- 
ing after the loss of the " Philadelphia," would not yield one jot 
in his demands. The commodore next took three of his ships to 
Tunis, to quiet threatening demonstrations in that quarter, and 
to let the Bey know that the Americans, though occupied with 
Tripoli, still had time to keep an eye fixed upon him. Some of 



TRIPOLI. 137 

the vessels needed repairs, and these were in turn attended to. 
The weakness of the squadron in small gunboats, wherein lay so 
much of the enemy's strength, was a source of great concern ; 
and Preble in his letters to the Department entreated that permis- 
sion might be given him to buy or build them in the Mediterra- 
nean ports. But to this the Government would not consent ; and 
Preble, as a last resort, went to Naples and obtained from the 
King of the two Sicilies, who was an enemy of the Tripolitans, 
a loan of six gunboats and two bomb-vessels, or mortar-bOats, 
as we should call them now. They were not very seaworthy or 
efficient, and " required careful nursing," as the commodore said. 
" However," he added in his report to the Department, " as they 
were the best I could obtain, I have thought it for the good of 
our service to employ them, particularly as the weather in July 
and August is generally pleasant, and without them my force is 
too small to make any impression upon Tripoli." 

At last all the preparations were completed, and the commo- 
dore toward the end of July set out to begin operations against 
the city. His whole force consisted of one frigate, three brigs, 
three schooners, and the eight small gunboats and mortar-boats 
which he had borrowed at Naples. Taking these last, the 
"Constitution," "Nautilus," and "Enterprise" set out from 
Syracuse, and arriving before Tripoli were joined by the block- 
ading squadron, composed of the " Argus," the "' Siren," the 
" Vixen," and the " Scourge." The ships made a brave display 
as they all appeared before the enemy's city ; but in reality they 
were an insufficient force to bring to the attack of such a place, 
with its hundred guns protected behind massive walls, its fleet 



138 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of nineteen gunboats, and its army on shore of twenty-four 
thousand soldiers. For they were desperate fighters, these 
Turkish bandits, when it came to a hand-to-hand conflict, as 
Ave have ah-eady seen from their fight with Sterrett ; and in all 
the American fleet there were not above one thousand men. 
But the assailants were strong in one thing, and that was in 
their officers. Young as the officers were, they counted among 
their numbers the flower of the navy. There were Somers and 
the two Decaturs, — Stephen and James ; Lawrence, the brave 
captain of the ''Chesapeake" in the War of 1812; Hull, who 
captured the " Guerriere ; " Stewart,- who took the '' Cyane " 
and the " Levant ; " Charles Morris, Macdonough, Warrington, 
Blakely, Spence, Henley, — all of them preparing now for the 
greater war that was to come, in which they were to win new 
renown for the navy and the country. They believed in their 
commander-in-chief, who they knew would lead them to victory 
if any man could. They believed too in each other, and they 
fought side by side like true and generous comrades. 

For several days the wind blew violently on shore and pre- 
vented any active operations. The ships hastened to gain an 
offing ; but the gale increased, and on the last day, when it was 
at its height, the gunboats pitching and tossing in the heavy 
sea seemed on the point of foundering. The foresail and main- 
topsail of the frigate, though close-reefed, were blown out into 
ribbons from the bolt-ropes. Fortunately before any worse acci- 
dent happened the gale subsided, and the squadron was once 
more able to approach the town. 

At last came the 3d of August, — a day ever memorable 
in the annals of our naval history. There was a light breeze 



TRIPOLI. 139 

blowing from the southeast as the squadron stood in slowly for 
the town, whose white walls, surmounted by glistening mosques 
and minarets, and surrounded by gardens and groves of palms, 
seemed to the Americans like some fabled city of old myths, 
which they were always approaching and which never could be 
reached. There is no fable about it on this day, however. 
Within these walls are three hundred of their companions con- 
fined in prison by a barbarian despot who calls himself a Pasha, 
but who is little better than the leader of a gang of pirates. 
His hundred cannon are frowning from the walls, his batteries 
are manned, and his fleet of galleys is drawn up in battle order 
outside the bristling; line of rocks that covers the entrance of the 

o 

harbor. They are there to have a fight, and the commodore is 
not a man to balk them in their purpose. 

The fleet is now advancino-, the bombs and tfunboats still in 
tow. Presently the ships wear, with their heads off shore. The 
Pasha, on the battlements of his castle, surrounded by his court- 
iers, is watching the movements of the Americans, and says to 
his officers, '^ They will mark their distance for tacking ; they 
are a sort of Jews, who have no notion of fighting." But he is 
going to find out before night. The ships are now passing within 
hail of the commodore, and each captain is receiving his final 
orders for the attack. Officers and men are transferred from 
the larger vessels to the gunboats. The latter are arranged in 
two divisions, — the first under Somers, the second under Decatur. 
There are only six of them in all-, and they are to attack nine- 
teen of the enemy, while the mortar-boats shell the town, and 
the " Constitution " and her attendant brigs and schooners 
deliver their broadsides at the batteries. 



140 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

At half-past one in the afternoon, the ships, wearing in suc- 
cession, are headed for the batteries. As they approach silently 
and steadily, the bombs and gunboats are cast off. The batteries 
give no sign of life, there is no sound to break the stillness of 
the clear midsummer afternoon ; and looking at the picture as 
the sun shines peacefully from the bright blue sky upon the 
white city walls, and the ships under their clouds of canvas, 
and the sparkling waters, one can hardly fancy that in a 
few moments it will be transformed into a scene of mortal 
combat. 

At length the bombs have taken their position and come to 
anchor, and the signal for battle is displayed at the mast-head 
of the "Constitution." Each of the mortars flings out a little 
curling puff of smoke. An instant later, with a deafening din 
and uproar, all the guns in the squadron and in the batteries 
on shore, as if directed by one man, have opened fire with their 
heavy round shot. The gunboats, led by Decatur and Somers, 
dash out against the enemy, and soon they are lost to view 
beneath the smoke of battle. 

The cannonade continues. Meantime Somers, though his 
boat is a dull sailer, by dint of hard work with the sweeps has 
reached the enemy's rear division, and single-handed as he is 
drives them in confusion behind the rocks. Decatur, followed 
by his brother James, by Trippe, and by the younger Bainbridge. 
attacks the van. The bowsprits have been unshipped so that 
there will be nothing to impede the boarders, foi- it is hy board- 
ing that Decatur means to gain his prizes. Bainbridge in his 
advance loses his lateen yard by a shot, and can only support the 
attacking column from a distance. Trippe dashes up alongside 



I 



TRIPOLI. 141 

one of the enemy's boats crying out, " Board ! " and leaps over 
the rail, followed by Henley, his midshipman, and nine of his 
crew. The others are about to jump, when the boats fall apart. 
It is hot work for the little handful of Americans. The enemy 
is more than three times their number. But there is no time 
for thought, and without a second's hesitation the boarders make 
a rush upon the crew of the galley with pike and cutlass. For 
a few minutes the struggle is desperate. Trippe singles out the 
leader, a tall and well-built Turk, as his own antagonist. As 
he comes up, the Turk makes a swift cut at him with his scim- 
itar ; but Trippe parries the 'blow skilfully with his sword, 
receiving only a slight wound. Stroke after stroke descends, 
as the enemy, swinging his curved blade with the rapidity of 
lightning, cuts savagely at his opponent. But Trippe is a cool and 
expert fencer, and though he is gashed and cut again and again, 
he holds his ground until he has passed his weapon through the 
body of the Turk. His companions, in the fury of their attack, 
have killed thirteen of the enemy; and though there are still 
more than twenty left, the rest seeing their leader fall are panic- 
struck and fall on their faces begging for mercy. Trippe 
carries oif with him eleven honorable scars, and three of his 
men are wounded ; but none have fallen, and the Tripolitan 
gunboat is a prize. 

Meanwhile the two Decaturs, in the other gunboats, are not 
idle. The elder, Stephen, runs on board the largest of the 
enemy's boats, taking with him his whole crew of Americans, 
twenty-three in number, and leaving the Neapolitan gunners 
to guard his boat. For ten minutes they are fighting pellmell 
on the enemy's decks, — another bloody hand-to-hand encounter 



142 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

with the same result. Despite their numbers, the Turks cannot 
resist the inpetuous charge of the Americans. Many of them 
are killed, some jump into the sea, a few rush in terror to the 
hold, the rest surrender. The flag is lowered, and Decatur takes 
his prize in tow, to draw her out of the battle. 

At this moment Lieut. James Decatur's gunboat comes up 
under his stern and he learns that his brother, after receiving 
the surrender of one of the galleys, has been shot through the 
head by her commander. Decatur has left most of his crew on 
board the prize, but he does not stop to think of that ; his 
brother has been murdered by a treacherous enemy, and he must 
meet the Turk and exact from him the penalty. The boat 
is pointed out ; she has taken refuge within the enemy's line. 
But this is nought to Decatur. Plunging into their midst, he 
finds himself beside the object of his search, and in a moment 
he has leaped upon the galley's deck. He does not look to see 
whether he is followed ; but young Macdonough has joined his 
leader with a handful of men, and at his side they charge the 
enemy. As Decatur rushes upon the Turkish captain, the latter 
makes a thrust at him with a boarding pike. Decatur parries 
with his cutlass, but the blade breaks at the hilt. The Turk 
makes another lunge, and this time wounds Decatur in the breast. 
The American wrenches the weapon from his antagonist, and 
they grapple and fall to the deck, Decatur uppermost. At this 
moment another Tripolitan makes a cut with his scimitar at 
Decatur's head ; but as the weapon is raised in the air a young 
blue-jacket, Reuben James, whose name will ever be remembered 
for this act of self-devotion, since he cannot stop the blow with 
his wounded arms, stoops down and intercepts it with his head. 



TRIPOLI. .143 

The fight now goes on around the two prostrate captains. 
The active and sinewy Turk, making one hist effort, turns and 
gets Decatur under him. Drawing a knife from its sheath, he 
is about to bury it in the captain's throat. But Decatur is as 
cool as he is valiant. Seizing the Turk's uplifted arm with a 
grip like iron, he feels with his right hand for the pistol in his 
pocket. Quickly it is cocked, and without drawing it, Decatur 
aims and fires. The dagger drops from the Turk's hand, and his 
body, limp and lifeless, rolls over on the deck. Another prize has 
been captured, and Decatur has avenged his brother's death. 

While the gunboats are thus actively engaged, the ships 
keep up a steady cannonade. Twice the reserve division of the 
enemy, stationed behind the rocks, endeavors to come out, and 
by rallying and supporting the defeated rear, to renew the con- 
test ; but each time it is covered and checked by the guns of the 
" Constitution," and after losing three more galleys which are 
sunk by the frigate's fire, it gives up the attempt. 

Presently the wind comes out from the northward, freshen- 
ing, and the gunboats are signalled to retire from action. The 
" Constitution," now only two cables' lengtli from the batteries, 
tacks, and firing two broadsides in stays, drives the Tripolitans 
from the castle and sends a minaret in the town crashing down 
about the people's heads. The gunboats, bringing with them 
their three prizes, rejoin the squadron. The commodore sends 
his barge to bring Lieut. James Decatur on board the flag-ship, 
and he is tenderly lifted in and rowed swiftly to the frigate. 
He lies in the stern-sheets, his head in Morris's lap, and with 
him is his brother. But his strength is going fast, and he dies 
before they reach the ship. 



144 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

The squadron now takes the gunboats and bombs in tow, and 
all the ships stand out to sea. The last gun has been fired, the 
batteries are silent, and the first attack on Tripoli is ended. 

Soon after the battle of the 3d of August Commodore Preble 
received a letter from the French consul intimating that the 
Pasha would be ready to lower his terms and treat for peace. 
But the commodore refused to make the first advances, and on 
the 7th he was ready for another attack. The enemy's gun- 
boats wisely kept their stations within the rocks, where it would 
have been folly to engage them, and the attack was directed 
only against the town and batteries. 

The bombs were ordered to take their position in a bay to 
the westward and throw shells into, the city, while the gunboats, 
now increased to nine by the addition of the three prizes, were to 
silence a heavy battery that commanded the entrance to the bay. 
At nine in the morning the '" Constitution " lay at anchor six 
miles from the city. The smaller vessels lay three miles within 
her. It was nearly calm, but with a strong current setting in 
to the eastward. The gunboats and bombs advanced slowly to 
the attack with sails .and oars. The ''Constitution" had her 
top-sails set ready for the first breeze; and at half-past one, 
when a light wind sprang up from the northeast, she weighed 
and stood in. As the wind was on shore, it was imprudent for 
an}' of the larger vessels to join in the movement ; for if a mast 
were shot away, it would be almost impossible to save the ship. 



TRIPOLI. 145 

At half-past two, signal was made to begin the attack, and 
the bombs and gunboats opened a heavy fire upon the town, to 
which the batteries replied. In a short time the walls of the 
seven-gun battery were nearly demolished. The small vessels 
kept their stations steadily under an annoying fire. kSuddenly 
on board one of the prize gunboats was seen a burst of flame 
followed by a terrific crash ; a hot shot had passed through 
the magazine and exploded it. The young commander of the 
gunboat, Lieutenant Caldwell, and Dorsey, one of the midship- 
men who stood with him on the quarter-deck, with all the sea- 
men near them, w^ere killed, and the stern of the boat was 
blown to atoms. In the bow was the gun's crew under Mid- 
shipman Robert Spence. The crew had just loaded the gun, 
and for a moment stood paralyzed, as the boat was sinking 
fast. 

" All right, boys ! " sung out Spence as lie coolly pointed the 
gun. " We 11 give them one more, any way. Fire ! " 

Crack ! went the gun. 

" Now. then, three rousing cheers for the flag ! Hip, hip, 
hurrah!" The gallant tars gave three cheers, and the boat 
sank from imder them. Spence, who could not swim, seized an 
oar as he plunged into the water, and so kept himself up until 
help came to him from one of the l)oats near by. In this way 
were rescued all whom the explosion had left alive. 

The eight remaining gunboats, which though here and there 
cut up were not disabled, continued the action until late in the 
afternoon, when the freshening wind warned the squadron to 
retire. During the engagement a strange sail had been seen to 
the northward, and the "Argus" was sent in chase. It proved 



14() THE BOYS OF 181 2. 

to be the frigate "John Adaiiks," Captain Chauncey, — the tlrst 
ship of the new squadron that was coming out from the. United 
States. Unfortunately she had left her gun-carriages to be 
b]-ought out 1)y the other ships, so that she could not be used for 
active operations. Still more unfortunately it turned out that 
the authorities at Washington, who were somewhat given to red- 
tape, had thought it necessary to send an othcer in command of 
the squadron of I'einforcement who was higher in rank than 
Preljle, and who would therefore upon his arrival replace the 
latter in the connnand. It was a cruel blow to the commodore 
to be cast aside after having done so much where others had 
accomplished little ; and in his private journal, written with his 
own hand in the solitude of his cabin, and meant only for his 
own eye, we find tliese words : — 

" How much my feelings are lacerated by this supersedure at the 
moment of victory cannot be described, and can be felt 'only by an 
othcer placed in my mortifyinu' situation." 

At first the commodore thought it only right that he should 
now wait for his successor to arrive. But in a day or two the 
Pasha sent him a message through the French consul, offering 
to treat for peace if the United States would pay one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars for the ransom of the captives. The 
last proposal before this had been for a ransom of half a million ; 
all which showed that the two attacks had lowered the Tripoli- 
tan demands to less than (jne third of what they had been, and 
that in time they would come down still further. 

Preble therefore renewed his operations, making the same 
zealous and eas-er efforts that he would liave done had the 



TRIPOLI. 147 

Department not superseded liim. Decatur, whose new commis- 
sion as captain had come out in the "• John Adams," and 
Chauncey rowed into the harbor one dark night in two small 
boats to find out how the enemy's flotilla was arranged at night. 
When this was ascertained, a night attack was planned, and the 
gunboats and bombs were sent into the harbor, where they bom- 
barded the town from two o'clock till daylight. It was a beau- 
tiful sight to one who could watch it from a distance ; but it 
filled the people of the city with terror, and if the Pasha had 
had any concern for the feelings of his subjects, he would have 
made peace then on any terms. But as long as his castle stood, 
and taxes could be wrung from his people, and he had plenty of 
food and slaves, it mattered little to him that the town should 
suffer from the horrors of a nio-ht bombardment. 

A few nights later the attack was repeated, and it was 
shoi'tly followed Ijy a warm engagement with the forts and gun- 
boats in the harbor, in which the enemy was repulsed and great 
damage was done in the town. This last attack, the fifth which 
the squadron had made, exhausted nearly all its ammuni- 
tion ; and as the bad season was coming on, the commodore 
determined to use up what was left in carrying out a plan which 
he had some time before projected, and which was to inflict a 
final blow on the enemy. The plan was to load the '• Intrepid " 
with gunpowder and shells, making a kind of infernal machine 
of her, and send her in to explode among the Tripolitan ship- 
ping. One hundred barrels of powder were stowed in her maga- 
zine, and one hundred and fifty fixed shells were placed in 
different parts of the vessel. The whole was to be fired by a 
fuse calculated to burn a quarter of an hour. 



148 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

The direction of this liazardous undertaking was intrusted to 
Lieut. Richard Somers, a gallant and devoted officer who had 
shared with Decatur the command of the gunboats in all the 
attacks upon Tripoli. Lieut. Henry Wadsworth went with him ; 
and at the last moment young Israel, another of the " Constitu- 
tion's " lieutenants, begged so hard to be allowed to go that the 
commodore consented. They took witli them the two fastest 
boats in the squadron, one of them from the " Nautilus " with 
four men, the other from the " Constitution " with six men. 

On the evening of the 4tli of September everything was 
ready, and the '" Litrepid " got under way and stood for the 
entrance of the harbor. The ''Argus," '' Siren," and '' Nautilus" 
went with her as far as the rocks, and remained there to pick up 
the boats on their return. The night was thick, and there was 
a faint starlight, and the " Intrepid " was gradually lost to sight 
in the gathering gloom as she passed between the rocks at the 
entrance. But the Tripolitan sentries on the mole were on the 
watch, and presently the batteries opened fire u})on her. Still 
she held silently on her course, steering straight for the mole, 
where the enem^-'s flotilla lay at anchor. Suddenly, before the 
allotted time had passed, the explosion came. There was a 
quick flash, a sheet of flame, a deafening report, then the 
sound of bursting shells and cries of alarm as for an instant 
the city walls, the harbor, and the vessels were lighted up by 
the blaze, and then — darkness and silence. 

The three ships remained for hours off the entrance watching 
anxiously for some signs of the returning boats or men. Every 
ear was strained to catch the plash of the oar in the water or 
its dull rattle in the rowlock, and every eye strove to pierce the 



TRIPOLI. 149 

shroud of mist that hung over the waters ; but in vain. None 
of that devoted band were destined ever to return. They had 
given up their lives as a sacrifice for their country ; and whether 
their destruction was caused by one of the enemy's shot, or 
whether, finding himself attacked by boarders, Somers had 
lighted . the fuse, as he had resolved to do in such an event, and 
had blown up himself and his assailants together, no man knows 
to this day. Thirteen bodies drifted ashore the next morning, 
and Captain Bainbridge was taken from his prison to see them ; 
but they were scarred and burned beyond recognition. 

With this melancholy tragedy Commodore Preble's operations 
before Tripoli came to a close. The bad season w^as upon him, 
when attacks were impossible, and the Pasha on his stormy coast 
was secure behind his barriers of rocks and shoals. A week 
later the new squadron came out and the commodore gave up 
his command. 

In the following spring, when the season again opened, 
Commodore Rodgers, who was now at the head of the squadron, 
appeared before Tripoli with an overwhelming force. There 
were six frigates, two brigs, three schooners, and twelve bombs 
and gunboats. At the same time an adventurous expedition 
had been led from Egypt by General Eaton, and had captured 
the city of Derne, an outlying dependency of Tripoli. Against 
such a force the Pasha, after what he had been taught by Preble 
in the summer before, knew that he could not long hold out ; 
and the negotiations for peace, which were conducted on board 
the flagship, lasted only a week. On the od of June, 1805, 
the treaty was signed. Bainbridge and his companions were set 
at liberty, and the war wdth Tripoli was over. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



IMPRESSMENT. 




UROPE, at the period which we have now 
reached, was engaged in a general war. 
This had begun with the French Revohition, 
when France bade defiance to the rest of 
the world ; and, kept alive by the aggressive 
policy and military ambition of Napoleon, 
it continued, with occasional interruptions, 
until the power of the French Emperor was 
overthrown at Waterloo. During all this time England was the 
most persistent and successful enemy of the French, — fighting 
them sometimes alone, sometimes in coalition with the great 
States of the Continent, but always hghting. It was on the 
sea that the Eno-lish were most successful. Here the French and 
the Spaniards, brave as they were, seemed to be no match for 
the islanders ; and the splendid victories of Lord Howe off 
Usliant, of Sir John Jervis at Cape St. Vincent, and last and 
greatest of all, of Nelson at the Nile and at Trafalgar, won for the 
English Navy an imperishable renown, and destroyed the naval 
power of France and Spain. 

The wonderful battles between the French and English navies 
were fought with great fleets, numbering sometimes thirty or 



IMPRESSMENT. 151 

forty sliips-of-tlie-line, carrying each from sixty to one hundred 
and twenty guns, and the largest of them as man}- as one thou- 
sand men. To keep these fleets manned with sailors Mas no 
easy task. After all who would volunteer were gathered in, 
there still remained a great deartli of men ; for it was a hard 
life th;«t the sailors led on Ijoard the ships-of-war, especially if, 
as often happened, the captain, or tlie second in command, was 
a harsh and tyrannical officer. How bitterly the men hated the 
service was shown by the mutinies at Spithead and the Nore. 
So it became necessary to resort to compulsion to recruit the 
crews. 

If the Government had established a draft or conscription to 
obtain its seamen, enrolling all the population, or all the sea- 
faring part of it, and drawing names by lot, as sometimes must 
be done even in free countries, things would not have been so 
bad. Instead of that it got them Ijv a method which was called 
" impressment." A press-gang composed of a party of armed 
sailors under a lieutenant or a warrant officer was sent ashore to 
seize any stray men it could find, and run them in for His 
Majesty's service. In all the seaport towns were crimps and 
runners, rascally fellows who knew the town and the inhabi- 
tants, and who frequented all the sailors' lodging-houses ; and 
these were employed to put the press-gangs on the track of 
likely men who could l^e forced into the service. In such towns, 
after dark, when these prowlers scoured the streets, it was 
hardly safe for any one to go out alone : for if he were cauglit 
and made remonstrance, a gag and a pair of handcuffs were 
ready to stay both voice and arm. Even when a sailor had 
shipped for his voyage in a merchantman and had got out to 



152 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

sea, he was not safe from capture. For the merchantman 
falling in with a ship.-of-war was obliged to heave to, when 
a lieutenant came on board and took such men as suited his 
fancy. 

But with all this the English fleet was still short of men. 
So the officers or the Government, or both together, hit upon a 
new device. In time of war the naval ships of either party 
have the right to stop and search all merchant-vessels on the 
high seas, to see if they are enemies or neutrals, and whether 
they are pursuing any illegal trade ; and the foreigners must 
submit, because if their own country were at war its naval ships 
would do the same. x\s England was all this time at war, it 
came about that any American merchantman falling in with 
English cruisers must undergo a search. If the merchant-ship 
had any natural-born Englishmen in her crew, although they 
might have emigrated long before, and have become citizens of 
the American Republic, the English Government held that they 
were still subjects, and that they might be taken out if they 
were needed for the service of the King. This was an outrage, 
because no such right of taking persons out of neutral ships 
exists. But this was not the worst. As the two nations were 
of the same l^lood and spoke the same language, their sailors 
could not easily be told apart ; and thus Americans were some- 
times taken on the pretence that they had formerly been Eng- 
lish. The cruiser's officer when he mustered the crew was 
never ver}' particular about the selection if he wanted the men, 
as he was always sure to do. Often, indeed, he did not care much 
whether they were Americans or not, and having a force behind 
him, he could not be gainsaid or resisted. 



IMPRESSMENT. 153 

The Government of the United States protested against this 
practice, but as it did not beheve much in naval armaments, and 
never followed up its protests by making a show of force, little 
heed was paid to tliem ; while England, being in such great 
necessity, and not over-scrupulous as to the means of relieving 
it, continued the practice. The American Government then 
granted to its sailor-citizens passports or certificates of nation- 
ality, which were called " protections," but which nevertheless 
did not always protect. At any rate a man who had not taken 
out the ''protection" — and sailors, as everybody knows, are 
careless in such matters — was sure to be impressed, whatever 
evidence he might give of birth or nationality. So the men 
were seized, and where they could they made complaint, though 
it often happened that they did not have the ch^^nce ; and when 
the complaints reached home, the State Department kept on 
filing them, and entering its futile protests and arguments and 
counter-arguments. But still, as might be expected from such 
a course, the practice of impressment never ceased, until finally 
there were several thousand native-born Americans serving under 
constraint in the Royal Navy. 

On one or two occasions the English had even gone so far 
as to take seamen out of our ships-of-war, which is perhaps as 
gross an affront as one nation can offer to another. This was 
done by Commodore Loring, who commanded a powerful squad- 
ron off Havana in 17U8, and who removed five men from the 
sloop-of-war '' Baltimore," of twenty guns. As the English force 
was composed of the '^ Queen," of ninety-eight guns, and several 
frigates, they could have sunk the '' Baltimore " with a single 
broadside. So the American ship made no resistance. Gross 



154 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

as it was, this injury did not bring on a war or even reprisals ; 
although reprisals might liave been used witli good effect, as they 
were about tlie same time against France. 

Again in 1S07, wlien the ••Chesapeake" was starting from 
Hampton Koads for a cruise in tlie Mediterranean, she was fol- 
lowed out to sea 1)V the British frigate •• Leopard," which sent 
an officer on ])oard to demand that some of the '' Chesapeake's " 
men, who were supposed to be deserters from the English navy, 
should be given up ; and when the demand was very properly 
refused, she attacked the '• Chesapeake," in sight of our own 
coast, and in time of peace, — discharging broadside after broad- 
side at the vessel of a friendly State. The •• Chesapeake," whicli 
had gone to sea unprepared to hglit, thr(jugli hurry in prepara- 
tion, and also it must be said through negligence on the part of 
certain of her officers, could not tire a shot in re})h'. the powder- 
horns and matches for priming and setting oft' the guns not 
being ready, and the men not having been called to quarters at 
the proper time. So she made a very poor showing, evfen allow- 
ing, as was the case, that her assailant was superior in force ; only 
one gun being tired in reply, wliich was touched off by a live coal 
which Allen, one of the younger lieutenants, carried in his hand 
from the galley, to save the honor of the Hag. After the 
" Chesapeake " surrendered, four men were taken from her to 
the '• Leopard " and she returned to port. This galling insult, 
which makes one blush to hear of even after so great a lapse 
of time, was only atoned for four years after it was given. 
And yet the country forbore to go to war, or even to make 
such preparations that if war came the navy might be ready 
for it. 



IMPRESSMENT. 155 

One would think that the Government must have grown very 
tired of making complaints, for during all these years its for- 
eign correspondence was chiefly made up of protests and requests 
for redress. To all these evasive answers were given, or hopes 
held out which never were fulfilled. Besides the outrage of 
impressment, there were many grievous wrongs inflicted on 
American commerce through the Orders in Council which the 
British issued ; and France, too, through Napoleon's Berlin and 
Milan decrees, did us serious injury. The French decrees were 
finally revoked, as were also at the last moment the Orders in 
Council ; l^ut England never would give up the right she claimed 
to take out of American vessels seamen that were supposed to 
be English. 

At last matters reached such a point that the nation refused 
to submit longer to these repeated insults. The British frigate 
'" Guerriere," cruising off New York, had impressed a seaman 
from an American coaster almost in sight of Sand}' Hook. 
Commodore Rodgers, in the frigate "President," was now em- 
ployed in patrolling the coast, and he was resolved, if he should 
meet the '' Guerriere," to demand the man's surrender. One 
evening he fell in with a British cruiser, the sloop-of-war " Little 
Belt," which in the dark he luistook for a frigate. His ship was 
cleared for action, the crew were at their quarters, and the guns 
were loaded and double-shotted ; for the '■'^ President " was not 
going to be caught unprepared, as the '•'Chesapeake" had been 
four years before. Ranging up to her, Rodgers hailed the '' Little 
Belt," but in reply his hail was only repeated ; and as he hailed 
the second time, the sloop fired a shot at him. The " President " 
returned the fire before Rodsrers could sfive an order, for the crew 



156 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

■were only waiting for the chance ; and no wonder, considering 
what American seamen had snft'ered from English ships-of-war. 
The firing continued on both sides, until at last the " Little 
Belt " was silenced. In the morning the commodore sent his 
boat to her with offers of assistance ; but these were refused, and 
the " Little Belt " proceeded on her way to Halifax, where she 
arrived almost a wreck. 

This incident, though not important in itself, added fresh fuel 
to the fire that was already kindled. There was now a strong 
party of younger men in Congress, who were resolved that the 
United States should no longer submit tamely to foreign aggres- 
sion. These at last succeeded in making themselves heard, and 
they carried Congress with them. Unhappily Ijut little had 
been done in all these years of encroachment to prepare the 
navy, the nation's principal arm of defence, to resist an enemy ; 
and although the dominant party was now active and alert 
about rousing a war spirit, they seemed to be exceedingly dull 
of comprehension about the necessity of preparations for defence. 
Therefore, except for the few noble frigates which Washington's 
foresight had provided, and the fine corps of naval officers whom 
Jefferson had selected and Preble had trained, we were as ill- 
prepared for war as it was possible to be. Nevertheless, the war 
party, rightly conceiving that the country could not endure 
forever the alternate bullying and subterfuge of foreign 
States, were determined to make an armed resistance ; and 
on the 18th of June, 1812, war was declared against Great 
Britain. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE WAR OF 1812. —THE "CONSTITUTION 
" GUERRTERE." 



AND THE 




IFFICULTIES which finally led to the out- 
break of war had been growing for several 
years ; and the Government, as I have said, 
had all this time done little or nothing in 
the way of preparation for defence either 
on land or at sea. The navy Was opposed 
as bitterly as ever, and the money that was 
iiujJed for its support was given grudgingly. After the war 
with Tripoli, in which gunboats had been found of so much use, 
the Administration had begun to build great numbers of vessels 
of this class. This was a great mistake. Gunboats were useful 
and even necessary for operations in bays and rivers and shoal 
waters, but they could not take the place of frigates in making 
war. But it seemed to be a pet scheme with the President to 
transform the navy into an immense gunboat flotilla, and one hun- 
dred and seventy-six of these little craft were built, which turned 
out to be of no more service in war than so many mud-scows. 
The money which was wasted by this mistaken policy would have 
built eight frigates of the largest class, and would have added 
immeasurably to our power upon the sea. 



158 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

When the war broke out, there were in the navy, besides the 
gunboats, only eighteen vessels, of which three — the " Chesa- 
peake," "'Constellation," and "Adams" — were repairing, and 
one was on Lake Ontario. Of the other fourteen there were 
those three fine frigates of forty-four guns, — the " Constitution,^' 
the " United States," and the " President ; " and three smaller 
frigates, — the "' Congress." of thirty-eight guns, the •' Essex," of 
thirty-two, and the "' John Adams," of twenty-eight. The rest 
were sloops, brigs, and schooners carrying from ten to twenty 
guns apiece. To make war on this pun}^ force, the British Navy 
possessed two hundred and tliirty line-of-battle sliips, of from 
sixt}' to one hundred and twenty guns each, and over six hun- 
dred frigates and smaller vessels. 

What could the United States now do with its eighteen ships 
against nine hundred of the enemy ? It seemed a hopeless situa- 
tion, — so hopeless, that there were some statesmen in the coun- 
try who thought it would be best to lay up and dismantle our 
little fleet as the only way to enable it to escape capture. It 
happened that wdien this plan was broached. Captain Bain- 
bridge and Captain Stewart were in Washington, and . hearing 
of it they went to the Secretary and implored him not to do so 
suicidal a thing. "'What are our sliips for," said they, "if not 
to fight and attack the enemy when their country goes to war ? 
If when a war comes they are all to be laid up, it would be 
better to give up altogether this pretence of a navy, which seems 
to be only used in peace-time, when there is no real work for 
it to do. No doubt if one of our frigates falls in with the 
enemy's squadron it will be captured ; but English frigates do 
not always sail in squadrons any more than our own ; and 



THE WAR OF 1812. 159 

if one of us meets one of them alone at sea, we shall be able 
to give a good accomit of ourselves. Let the frigates go to sea 
to show what they can do : at the worst, they can only be 
captured, and the country will be no worse off than if they 
were laid up to rot in idleness." 

Persuaded by these arguments the Government consented, 
though with many forebodings of disaster, to send the ships 
to sea ; and fortunate it was that this wise decision was reached. 
For never in the history of the world was a naval war con- 
ducted with greater skill and gallantry, and success in propor- 
tion to its means, than this which the little navy of America 
waged in 1812 against Great Britain. Despite the comparative 
force of the two navies, it often happened, as Bainbridge and 
Stewart had predicted, that single ships met single ships in 
naval duels, as it were ; and as through the wisdom of our 
first constructors our frigates and sloops were the best of 
their class afloat, they were often more than a match in 
strength of resistance and in i)ower of attack for their an- 
tagonists. Besides, under the thorough training of their cap- 
tains, who had learned what naval warfare meant in the 
school of Preble at Tripoli, the crews were more careful and 
more skilful gunners than the enemy, and far exceeded them in 
their ability to make their firing tell. The English, on the 
other hand, whose conquests over the French and Spaniards 
had led them to belittle and despise the navies of other 
States, thought that they had an easy victory before them, — 
or, as we might say now, a ''walk-over," — and they ridiculed 
the American frigates, calling the " Constitution " a '^"bundle of 
pine boards under a bit of striped bunting," until they found 



160 THE BOYS OF 1R12. 

out to their cost that they had in their enormous list of ships 
hardly a single frigate that compared with her in all those 
qualities which a frigate ought to have. 



«^^^§^^©^ 



On the l^lst of June, 1812, three days after the declaration 
of war, a squadron sailed out of New York, under the command 
of Commodore Rodgers, composed of the " President," as flag- 
ship ; the " United States," under Commodore Decatur ; the 
" Congress," Captain Smith ; the " Hornet," Capt. James Law- 
rence ; and the '^ Argus," Captain Sinclair. The object of the 
cruise was the capture of a fleet of one hundred merchantmen 
known to have sailed from Jamaica sometime before for Eng;- 
land, under convoy of some ships-of-war. When two days out, 
the squadron fell in with and chased the British frigate " Belvi- 
dera." When the chase began, the frigate was some six miles off; 
but in the course of the afternoon the " President," which was 
the fastest ship of the squadron, gradually neared her, until she 
was within half a mile. Then the '' President " opened with 
her bow-guns ; but, most unfortunately, one of these guns after 
being fired a few times exploded, killing and wounding several 
officers and men, the commodore himself being among the 
wounded. The " Belvidera " held on her course, returning the 
fire from four guns which she had shifted to her stern-ports. 
The " President," delayed by her accident, lost ground ; and 
though a running fight was kept up for several hours, the 



THE WAR OF 1812. 163 

*' Belvidera," by cutting away her anchors and throwing over- 
board her boats, lightened herself so much that she soon left the 
squadron far behind. At midnight the pursuit was abandoned. 

The squadron now resumed its course in chase of the Jamaica 
fleet, from which it had been turned aside in attempting to cap- 
ture the ''• Belvidera." But the delay proved fatal to its enter- 
prise. Intelligence was gained oft" the Banks of Newfoundland 
that the Jamaica-men were ahead, and soon the ships knew from 
the quantities of orange-peel and cocoanut-shells floating in the 
water that they were on the enemy's track ; but they never 
sighted him. At last, upon reaching the British Channel, the 
pursuit was given up, and Commodore Rodgers, after a ten- 
weeks' cruise, returned with six prizes to Boston. 

The cruise of Commodore Rodgers had one good effect, in 
compelling the sliips-of-war of the enemy then on our coast to 
keep together for their own safety. Among these was one sixty- 
four, the " Africa," two large frigates, the '' Shannon " and the 
"•' Guerriere," and the small frigate "• ^Eolus," all under the com- 
mand of Com. Philip Broke, of the '• Shannon." These were 
presently joined by the " Belvidera," and all were cruising to- 
gether near New York, and oft* the Jerse}^ coast. About the 
middle of July the little schooner " Nautilus," of twelve guns, 
left New York on a cruise, and running into the midst of the 
squadron was made a prize after a six-hours' chase. 

On the 12th of July, four days before the capture of the 
"• Nautilus," the " Constitution " had sailed from Chesapeake 
Bay, under Captain Hull, bound for New York. Late on the 
afternoon of the 16th, the day on which the '•• Nautilus " was 
taken, she too fell in with the British squadron. For three long 



164 THE BOYvS OF 1812. 

and weary days and nights the enemy pursued her, and during 
all that time the zeal and courage of her officers never flagged, 
and no means were left untried that might assist in her escape. 
The untiring efforts of Captain Hull were seconded by his first 
lieutenant, Charles Morris, the same who had been with Decatur 
when he burned the '-Philadelphia" in the harbor of Tripoli, 
and certainly one of the best officers that ever fought under the 
American flag. He shall tell in his own words the story of 



THE CHAvSE OF THE "CONSTITUTION." 

We liad proceeded beyond the Delaware, but out of sight of the 
laud, when on the afternoon of the 16th we discovered four vessels at 
a great distance to the northwest and a single shij) to the northeast, 
from which (quarter a light wind was then blowing. The wind 
changed to the southward about sunset, which brought us to wind- 
ward, and we stood for the ship, the wind being very light. The chase 
was evidently a frigate, and the first impression was that she might be 
a part of Commodore Rodgers's squadron. By eleven p. m. we were 
within signal distance, and it was soon apparent she was not an Amer- 
ican vessel of war. There being no apprehension that a British frigate 
would make any attempt to avoid an eugagement, Captain Hull felt 
justified in delaying any nearer approach till daylight, when our newly- 
collected and imperfectly-disciplined men would be less likely to be 
thrown into confusion. The ship was accordingly brought to the wind 
with her head to the southward and westward under easy sail, with a 
light wind from the northwest. The other ship did the same at about 
two miles' distance. The watch not on duty were allowed to sleep at 
tiicir quarters, and the officers slept in the same manner. 

As the following morning opened upon us it disclosed our coni|>an- 
ion of the night to be a large frigate just without gunshot, on the lee 
quarter, and a ship-of-the-line and three other frigates, a brig, and a 



THE WAR OF 1812. 165 

schooner, about two miles nearly astern, with all sails set standing for 
us, with English colors flying. 

All our sails were soon set, and the nearest frigate, fortunately for 
us, but without any apparent reason, tacked and immediately wore round 
again in chase, — a manceuvre that occupied some ten minutes, and 
allowed us to gain a distance, which though short, proved to be of the 
utmost importance to our safety. By sunrise our ship was entirely 
becalmed and unmanageable, while the ships astern retained a light 
breeze till it brought three of the frigates so near that their shot ]iassed 
beyond us. The distance was, however, too great for accuracy, and 
their shot did not strike our ship. 

Our boats were soon hoisted out, and the ship's head kept from the 
enemy, and exertions were made to increase our distance from them by 
towing. This and occasional cat's-paws, or slight puffs of wind, en- 
abled us to gain nothing. A few guns were fired from our stern-ports ; 
but so much rake had been given to the stern that the guns could not 
be used with safety, and their furtber use was relinquished. All means 
were adopted which seemed to promise any increase of speed. The 
hammocks were removed from the nettings, and the cloths rolled up 
to prevent their unfavorable action : several thousand gallons of water 
were started and pumped overboard, and all the sails kept thoroughly 
wet to close the texture of the canvas. 

While making all these exertions, our chances for escape were con- 
sidered hopeless. For many years the ship had proved a very dull 
sailer, especially during tbe late cruise, and it was supposed that the 
first steady breeze would bring up such a force as would render resist- 
ance of no avail ; and our situation seemed hopeless. 

At about eight a. m. one of the frigates called all the boats of the 
squadron to her, and having arranged them for towing, furled all sails. 
This brought her toward us steadily and seemed to decide our fate. 
Fortunately for us, a light breeze filled our sails and sent us forward a 
few hundred yards before her sails could be set to profit by it. 

With our minds excited to the utmost to devise means of escape, I 
happened to recollect that when obliged by the timidity of my old com- 



166 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

mander, Cox, to wai'i) the '' President " in and out of harbors where 
others depended on sails, our practice liad enabled us to give her a 
speed of nearly three miles an hour. We had been on soundings the day 
before, and on trying we now found twenty-six fathoms. This depth was 
unfavorably great, but it gave me contidence to suggest to Captain Hull 
the expediency of attempting to warp the ship ahead. He acceded at 
once ; and in a short time the launch and first cutter were sent ahead 
with a kedge, and with all the hawsers and rigging, from five inches 
and upward, that could be found, making nearly a mile of length. 
When the kedge was thrown, the men hauled on the connecting hawser, 
slowly and carefully at first, till the ship was in motion, and gradually 
increasing until a sufficient velocity was given to continue until the 
anchor could be taken ahead, when the same process was repeated. 
In this way the ship was soon placed out of the range of our enemy's 
guns, and by continued exertions when the wind failed, and giving every 
possible advantage to the sails when we had air enough to fill them, we 
prevented them from again closing very near us. The ship which we 
had first chased gained a position abeam of us about nine a. m., and fired 
several broadsides ; but the shot fell just short of us and only served to 
enliven our men and excite their jocular comments. 

The exertions of neither, party were relaxed during this day or the 
following night. There was frequent alternation of calms and very 
light winds from the southeast, which we received with our heads to the 
southwestward. When the wind would give us more speed than with 
warping and towing, the boats were run up to their places or suspended 
to the spars in the chains by temporary tackles, with their crews in them, 
ready to act at a moment's notice. 

At daylight of the second day, on the 18th, it was found that one 
frigate had gained a position on our lee bow, two nearly abeam, one on 
the lee quarter about two miles from us, and the ship-of-the-line, ^rig, 
and schooner, three miles from us in the same direction. The wind 
had now become tolerable steady, though still light. The frigate on the 
lee bow tacked about four a. m. and would evidently reach within gun- 
shot if we continued our course. This we were anxious to avoid, as a 



% 



THE WAR OF 1812. 169 

single shot might cripple some spar and impede our progress. If we 
tacked, we might be exposed to the fire of the other frigate on the lee 
quarter ; but as she was a smaller vessel, the risk appeared to be less, 
and we also tacked soon. In passing the lee frigate at five, we expected 
a broadside or more, as we should evidently pass within gunshot ; but 
from some unexplained cause Lord James Townshend, in the " ^Eolus,'' 
of thirty-two guns, suffered us to pass quietly and tacked in our wake, 
while the others soon took the same direction. 

We had now all our pursuers astern and on the lee quarter ; and as 
the wind was gradually increasing, our escape must depend on our supe- 
riority of sailing, which we had no reason to hope or expect. Exertions, 
however, were not relaxed. The launch and first cutter, which we dared 
not lose, were hoisted on board at six a. m. under the direction of Cap- 
tain Hull, with so little loss of time or change of sails that our watching 
enemies could not conceive what disposition hud been made of them. 
This we afterward learned from Lieutenant Crane, who was a prisoner 
in their squadron. The sails were kept saturated with water, a set of 
sky-sails was made and set, and all other sails set and trimmed to the 
greatest advantage, close by the wind. The ship directly astern gained 
slowly but gradually till noon ; though, as the wind increased, our good 
ship was going at that time at the unexpected rate of ten knots an hour. 
At noon we had the wind abeam, and as it gradually freshened, we began 
to leave our fleet pursuer. Our ship had reached a speed of twelve and 
a half knots by two p. m. Our hopes began to overcome apprehension, 
and cheerfulness was more apparent among us. 

Though encouraged we were by no means assured, as all the ships 
were still near and ready to avail themselves of any advantage that 
might offer. About six p. m. a squall of wind and rain passed over us, 
which induced us to take in our light sails before the rain covered us 
from the view of the enemy ; but most of them were soon replaced, as 
the wind moderated. When the rain had passed, we had evidently 
gained a mile or more during its continuance. Still the pursuit was 
continued, and our own ship pressed forward to her utmost speed. The 
officers and men again passed the night at quarters. At daylight on 



17(1 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

tlie moi'iiing of the 19th our enemies had been left so far astern that 
danger from them was considered at an end, and at eight a. m. they at 
last relinquished the chase and hauled their wind. Our officers and 
crew could now indulge in some rest, of which the former had taken 
little for more than sixty hours. . . . The result may be remem- 
bered as an evidence of the advantages to be expected from perseverance 
under the most discouraging circumstances so long as any chance for 
success may remain. 

After the prolonged labor and anxiety of the three days' 
chase, the people of the "' Constitution " needed some relaxation 
of the strain, and Captain Hull put into Boston, where he 
remained a week. From there he sailed to the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, where he took and burned some prizes ; but hearing 
that the squadron from which he had just escaped was in the 
neighborhood, he steered for the southward. All the time the 
sailors were kept exercised at the guns, under the careful over- 
sight of the officers ; for the captain knew that the result, in any 
battle he might be called upon to fight, dejDcnded mostly upon 
skill in firing, which practice alone could give. 

On the 19th of August, at two o'clock in the afternoon, 
while cruising about in the ocean somewhere in the latitude 
of New York, the '' Constitution " made a strange sail to the 
southward and eastward. Captain Hull had just before received 
information that an Eno;lish friscate was cruising; alone to the 
southward of him, and suspecting that this stranger was the 
object of his search, he 1)ore down for her under all sail, she 
meanwhile making no attempt to get aw^ay. At three o'clock 
the ships were near enough to make each other out. and Hull's 
conjecture proved to be right. The stranger was the frigate 



THE " CONSTITUTIOX " AND THE " GUERRIERE. 



171 



" Guerriere," under Captain Dacres, which had now left the 
squadron of Commodore Broke, and was on her way to Halifax. 

By four o'clock the " Constitution " was gaining rapidly on 
her opponent, and three quarters of an hour later, being then 
about three miles off, the "Guerriere"' backed her main-topsails 
and waited for the 
Americans to come 
up. Upon this the 
" Constitution' ' took 
in her top-gallant 
sails, staysails, and 
flying jib, took a 
second reef in the 
topsails, hauled the 
courses up, sent 
down the royal 
yards, cleared ship 
for action, and beat 
to quarters. At the 
same time she bore 
up, and steered for 
the " Guerriere's " 
quarter. 

At five o'clock 

the -'Guerriere" hoisted her colors and ()[)ened fire, but her 
shot fell short. Then for nearly an hour the two ships 
manoeuvred, Hull doing his best to get into a good position to 
rake, and the English frigate each time deftly evading him by 
" w^earing ship," as it is called, — that is, by turning quickly on 




( APTAIN ISAAC HULL. 



172 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

her heel, with the wind astern. But all this drew the ships 
apart, when both really wished to close and fight ; and presently 
by a common impulse Hull and Dacres concluded to give up 
manoeuvring, and both ran off to the eastward, with the wind 
free, the " Guerriere " a little ahead, but the '• Constitution " 
quickly crawling up on her. 

Now bearan the real battle, for before this it had been little 
more than the play of fencers, each feeling his way to discover 
his opponent's skill and strength. But the ships were now side 
by side, and the '' Constitution's " practised gunners were firing 
terrible broadsides in quick succession, her guns double-shotted 
with round shot and grape. The '' Guerriere " answered, but 
her guns were not so heavy as the Americans, nor was her 
gunnery so skilful. In just ten minutes after the real light 
began, her mizzen-mast toppled and fell over the side, the 
shrouds holding the wreck of mast and spars and sails, which 
dragged behind in the water. 

The " Guerriere's " speed was now slackened, and Captain 
Hull ranged ahead ; and putting his helm hard aport, he lay 
across her bows and raked her with his broadside twice from 
stem to stern. But as he swung round again, the "Guerriere's" 
jib-boom and liowsprit crossed his quarter-deck and got entangled 
in his rigging. It was a critical moment, for the bow-guns 
of the enemy were so close that their wads, entering the " Con- 
stitution's " cabin, set it on fire. By dint of great exertions the 
fire was put out, and Lieutenant Morris, standing on the taffrail, 
attempted to pass some turns of the main brace over the 
" Guerriere's " bowsprit, to keep her fast and give his men a 
chance to board. But Morris in his exposed position had not 



%,;;„• ,\ 



1 fill III 




P|ii|||HPl|ipi H|l|lf «| 








THE "CONSTITUTION" AND THE " GUERRIERE." 175 

yet finished his task, when a marine on the " Guerriere," taking 
deliberate aim, put a bullet through his body. The brave 
lieutenant fell, though happily not killed but only badly wounded, 
and the two ships were separated. 

All thoughts of boarding were now given up, but there was 
no need of it. Hull kept up his heavy fire, and in ten minutes 
more the " Guerriere's " foremast and mainmast had also gone, 
and she lay a helpless wreck in the trough of the sea, rolling 
her main-deck guns under water. The " Constitution," knowing 
that the enemy was at her mercy, now hauled ott" for half an 
hour to repair the slight injuries she had received ; and after 
completing this task in a leisurely way, and making everything 
shipshape, she came back to receive the enemy's surrender. 
It was a bitter task for Captain Dacres to acknowledge himself 
beaten in the first frigate fight between the veteran navy of 
England and the derided vessels of the young Republic ; but 
it was all that he could do, for he had fought his ship until she 
was little better than a dismantled hulk, and it was vain to think 
of trying to prolong resistance. So the captain came on lioard 
the "' Constitution " and delivered up himself and all his men 
as prisoners ; and the next day the " Guerriere." being so shat- 
tered that it was of no use to take her into port, was burned 
where she lay, and left to sink in the ocean. 

Great were the rejoicings when the "Constitution" arrived 
at Boston with her trophies and prisoners. Men, women, and 
children vied with each other in demonstrations of delight. We 
can hardly realize to-day what the people felt at the news of the 
destruction of a British frigate. To understand the feeling, we 
must look back at the twenty 3^ears during which American 



176 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

ships and American seamen had suffered repeated outrage at the 
hands of British ships-of-war, — outrage which had l^een borne 
only because the young country felt too weak to cope with those 
forces which had conquered all the navies of the Continent. At 
the outset, war with such foes ottered a dismal prospect. And 
to think that in the first real encounter on the seas, a veritable 
pitched battle, these redoubtable champions of the ocean had 
been so utterly crushed and annihilated that not one fragment 
remained of their good ship the " Guerriere," which had harried 
with impunit}- our very coasters, was something more than 
men's minds could at once grasp. 

For Hull and his companions no reward seemed too great. 
Feasted in Boston at a great civic banquet, received with an 
ovation at every town through which he passed,, he was for the 
moment the country's hero. Congress struck a medal in his 
honor, and votes of thanks were passed by the legislatures 
of New York and Massachusetts, and by many municipal bodies. 
The Society of the Cincinnati elected him an honorary member. 
The citizens of Philadelphia presented to him a great silver vase, 
and a golden sword whose engraved hilt bore a picture of the 
battle ; the vase and sword may l)e seen to-day in the hall 
of the State Department at Washington. Morris was promoted 
to the rank of captain ; and finally Congress passed an act 
appropriating fifty thousand dollars as a bounty for the officers 
and seamen of the " Constitution." 



CHAPTER X. 



THE FIRST SLOOP ACTION. 




HAT Ameri- 
ca n ships 
could do in 
battle, Cap- 
tain Hull had 
now shown ; and 
the hopes of the coun- 
try were aroused, and it 
began with reason to look 
for fresh successes. Nor 
was it destined to be dis- 
appointed ; for during 
that memorable autumn of 1812 and the early months of winter 
there came such a rapid and unbroken succession of naval victo- 
ries as has fallen to the lot of hardly any nation before or since. 
And that these victories should have been won by a service that 
for fifteen years, had been treated with derision and contempt 
even by those in the highest station in the country, who should 



178 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

have given it both honor and support, and that they were won 
too over the mistress of the seas, made them in people's eyes 
tenfold more marvellous. It mattered little that the force en- 
gaged was small, that in comparison with the great fleet actions 
of European navies these encounters seemed the battles of pyg- 
mies ; for their significance as victories was not thereby dimin- 
ished ; whether the force engaged was one ship or fifty ships, 
the same qualities in officers and men were needed to achieve 
a victory. The English had been beaten. — beaten in part no 
doubt by the better quality of American ships, but beaten too by 
the superior skill and training of American seamen. 

The second victory of the naval war ^ was won by the sloop- 
of-war '' Wasp," which left the Delaware on the loth of October 
under the command of Capt. Jacob Jones. She had been out 
only five days, when one Sunday morning she fell in with the 
British brig " Frolic," convoying a small fleet of merchantmen, 
somewhere to the eastward of Albemarle Sound. At the first 
sign of battle the convoy made off under a press of sail. It was 
blowing fresh at the time, with a heavy sea. so that the ships 
came into action under short canvas. 

At eleven o'clock in the forenoon the •• Frolic " hoisted Span- 
i.sh colors, but Captain Jones knew that this was a ruse ; and 
as he came down to windward of her and hailed, she displayed 
the English flag and opened the battle. The ships were very 
close, so that in spite of their pitching and tossing the firing 
told severely on both sides ; but the Americans, following the 
same wise rule of aiming low that Truxtun had put in practice 

^ This was really the third victory, counting the unimportant action between the 
" Essex " and the " Alert " as the first. 



THE FIRST SLOOP ACTION. 181 

in the '• Constellation," fired while the engaged side of their ship 
was going down with the swell, and the enemy fired while theirs 
was rising ; so that the ^^ Frolic's " wounds were on her decks 
or in her hull, and the '' Wasp's " chiefly aloft. In a few min- 
utes the American's main-topmast fell, followed by his gaff and 
mizzen-topgallant-mast. Nevertheless, Captain Jones succeeded 
in placing himself on the port bow of the '' Frolic," where he 
raked her with terrible effect, and man after man fell upon her 
decks, dead or dying, until her fire began to slacken. By this 
time the masts of the ''Wasp" were almost unsupported, so 
much of the rigging had been cut away ; and the captain, fear- 
ful lest the enemy should escape him, prepared to board notwith- 
standing the heavy sea. 

Presently the ships fell foul, the " Frolic's " bowsprit running 
over the quarter-deck of the •' Wasp," which was just the posi- 
tion most favorable for accomplishing the captain's purpose. 
The men were eager to board, and could not wait for the order. 
Jack Lang, a brave American blue-jacket, who had sometime 
before been the victim of a British press-gang, and who thus had 
old scores to wipe out, leaped first upon the enemy's bowsprit. 
Next to him came Biddle, the first lieutenant of the " Wasp," 
who climbed upon the bulwarks ; but his foot caught in a rope 
and he lost his balance. Behind Biddle came a midshipman, 
who, by w^ay of helping himself up. in his eagerness seized the 
lieutenant's coat and so dragged him back to the deck. Biddle 
was on his feet in a twinkling, and getting on board the enemy, 
he rushed with a handful of men along her deck. But there 
was no force to oppose him, only the quartermaster at the wheel 
and three officers who threw down their swords in token of 



182 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

surrender. Biddle hauled down the British flag himself, and in 
a short time the shattered remnant of the crew on the gun-deck 
below were made prisoners. It had been a most heroic defence 
of the " Frolic," one that has few parallels in the whole range 
of naval history, for more than three fourths of her people were 
strewn about the decks ; but it only shows that heroism alone 
without care and skill cannot always win a battle, for the Amer- 
icans, with better knowledge of their art, had gained the victory, 
and it had only cost a loss of five men killed and as many more 
wounded. 

The '*Wasp" was not to gather the fruits of victory, how- 
ever. Soon after the battle an English line-of-battle ship, the 
" Poictiers," came in sight, and her great battery of seventy-four 
guns, before which both the little sloops would have fled had they 
been able to make sail, found them an easy capture. But all the 
same the real battle had been foudit and the real victorv won ; 
and the loss of the two disabled ships in the face of such an 
overwhelming force was as nothing in its real import to the 
added proof which Captain Jones had given that American ships 
could meet and conquer on the seas an equal foe. 



(^ AFTER XL 



DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE:. 




;i;,?iFST before the ''Wasp" had set out on her 
short but eventful cruise, Commodore Rodgers 
liad put to sea again with his squadron. 
Soon after leaving New York, the " United 
States," still under Capt. Stephen Decatur, 
separated from the other ships, and steering 
to the southeast, proceeded alone across the 
Atlantic. The '' United States " was now 
in the highest condition of efficiency : the captain had taken great 
pains to train the crew in all that was needed to make them 
srood fightina: men ; and his efforts had been seconded most 
worthily by his first lieutenant, William Henry Allen, the same 
who had proved his gallantry in the affair of the Chesapeake. 

About two weeks after leaving port, on the 25th of October, 
when in the neighborhood of Madeira, the '" United States " 
sighted a strange vessel to the southward, which turned out to 
be the British frigate '* Macedonian." She was considered at this 
time to be the finest frigate in His Majesty's Navy, and was 
commanded by Capt. John Carden. It seems that when Decatur 
liad been cruising oft' our coast in his frigate before the war, he 
had met the '' Macedonian," and he and Carden had become 



184 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

good friends, — at least as far as could be in those troublesome 
times, — and had often exchanged good offices and hospitality. 
Thus they had talked from time to time about the strength of 
the two frigates, and of the. probable result in case they should 
one da}' meet in battle. In these friendly conversations Captain 
Garden would dwell upon the disadvantage, as he thought it, of 
the American batteries ; seeing that they carried 24-pounders 
where the English carried eighteens, wdiich last, so he thought, 
w^ere handled more easily and quickly, and were as heavy as a 
frigate ought to carry. 

" Besides, Decatur," he added, " though your ships may be 
good enough, and you are a clever set of fellows, what practice 
have you had in war ? There is the rub. We now meet as friends, 
and God grant we may never meet as enemies ; but we are suIj- 
ject to the orders of our Governments, and must obey them. 
Should we meet as enemies, what do you suppose will be the 
result ? " 

" I heartil}' reciprocate your sentiment," replied Decatur, — 
'' that you and I may never meet except as we now do ; but if 
as enemies, and with equal forces, the conflict will undoubtedly 
be a severe one, for the flag of my country will never be struck 
while there is a hull for it to wave from." 

These two good friends and gallant companions were now to 
meet in the trial of arms over whose issue they had talked and 
speculated. The " Macedonian " came on before the wdnd, with 
studding-sails set, rapidly approaching the American. The 
" United States " then wore, to delay the fight, and perhaps 
to complete her preparations ; but having cleared ship for action, 
she wore again so that she might close with the enemy. At this 



DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE. 185 

point, had Captain Garden held on his course, having much the 
faster ship, he might have run across the bow of his antagonist 
and raked her. But he wished to keep the weather-gage, and 
so hauled by the wind, and at nine o'clock the two ships passed 
each other in opposite directions, and exchanged their first 
broadsides at long range. 

On board the '^ United States," everything was now ready for 
action, and the men were waiting eagerly until the real battle 
should begin, for they were confident of making a good fight. 
At this point a boy. Jack Creamer by name, who had been 
allowed to make the cruise in the ship, although too young 
to be regularly enrolled, came to Captain Decatur as he stood 
upon the quarter-deck watching the enemy, and touching his 
forelock, said, — 

^'Please, Commodore, will you have my name put on the 
muster-roll?" 

'• Why, my lad ? " asked the captain, amused and interested 
at the boy's eagerness. 

'^ Because, sir," answered Jack, " then I shall be able to draw 
my prize money." 

So the order was given, and Jack went back contented to his 
station. 

The firing at long range was doing no good, and the ships 
having passed each other, the '" Macedonian," after going a little 
way, wore rovmd, and followed the '' United States," overhauling 
her rapidly, as her superior speed enabled her to do with ease. 
But as she approached nearly bows on. Captain' Decatur was 
able to oppose the guns on his quarter to those on the enemy's 
bow in a running fight, and every now and then, by shifting his 



186 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

helm a little, to bring his whole broadside to bear, raking her 
with his diagonal fire. In a short time her mizzen-topmast was 
seen to totter and fall, and as this made the sailing of the two 
ships equal, Decatur backed his maintopsail and allowed her 
to come up. 

As soon as the two ships were abreast there began that tre- 
mendous disabling fire which was the secret of the Americans' 
success. The " United States " fired two broadsides to the 
enemy's one, and seemed to l)e in sheets of flame ; so much so 
that the English thought her on fire and gave three cheers 
in their delight. But they were mistaken, and they soon found 
that the American fire was as accurate as it was rapid. It was 
now the turn of the Americans to cheer, as the " Macedonian's " 
mizzen-mast went by the l)oard. 

" Ay, ay, Jack," called out one of the gun-captains, " we 
have made a brig of her ! " 

" Take good aim at the mainmast, my lad," said the captain, 
overhearing him, '' and she will soon be a sloop ; " and in a little 
while, when her two remaining topmasts came down with a 
crash, he added : '' Aim now at the yellow streak ; her masts and 
rigging are going fast enough. She must have more hulling." 

And indeed it was a hulling that the '' Macedonian " got that 
day, for one hundred shot had entered her sides, her upper 
battery was disabled, and all her boats were cut to pieces. Her 
people still held on with stubborn courage, though one third of 
their number w^ere by this time killed or wounded, and tried 
to board, but the ship would not answer tlie helm. At last, 
finding the contest hopeless, the gallant Garden struck his colors 
and surrendered. 



DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE. 187 

His ship was like a slaughter-house. Out of his crew of 
three hundred men more than one hundred were killed or 
wounded. '' Fragments of the dead," said the lieutenant whom 
Decatur sent on board, " were distributed in every direction, the 
decks covered with blood, one continued agonizing yell of the 
unhappy wounded ; a scene so horrible, of my fellow-creatures, 
I assure you, deprived me ver}^ much of the pleasure of victory." 
On board the " United States " there were hardly to be seen the 
signs of battle. Some little damage had been done aloft, but 
nothing that was not easily repaired. Two or three round shot 
were in her hull ; but her crew were almost unhurt, for out of four 
hundred and seventy-six men she had but seven killed and five 
wounded. The difference in force, both in guns and men, was 
greatly in her favor ; but the difference in the injuries that she 
inflicted and received went far beyond it. 

As Captain Garden came on board the " United States," 
Decatur advanced to meet him, and the two friends recoo-nized 
each other. The vanquished captain, filled with the bitterness 
and mortification of defeat, offered his sword in silence. 

" Sir," said his young conqueror, with the gentle courtesy 
that so became him, " I cannot receive the sword of a man who 
has defended his ship so bravely." 

So the sword was returned, and all that lay in Decatur's 
power was done to soothe the feelings of his enemy. The 
captured frigate was fitted out with jury-masts, and together 
the two ships made for the United States, where they arrived 
in safety early in December. The despatches containing a re- 
port of the victory were carried to Washington by Midshipman 
Hamilton, of the " United States," the son of tlie Secretary 



188 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of the Navy ; and as lie travelled post-haste from New London 
to New York, and on through Jersey and Pennsylvania and 
Maryland, everywhere the news of " another victory over the 
British frigates " was borne onward and spread from lip to lip 
and from house to house, until the whole country from New 
England to Georgia was filled with joyous and triumphant 
acclamations. 



cq4S^/S>^ 



On the very day of the battle between the '•' United States " 
and the " Macedonian," the '' Constitution," now commanded by 
Captain Bainbridge, was making her final preparations at Boston 
to set sail on a cruise. On the next day, the 26th of October, 
all was ready ; and the frigate, whose name was already endeared 
to Americans by the victory over the '' Guerriere," started forth 
to win for herself fresh renown. The sloop "Hornet," under 
Capt. James Lawrence, sailed in company with the " Constitu- 
tion," and the two ships shaped their course for the coast of 
Brazil, where the '" Essex," under Captain Porter, was to meet 
them. From this point, if no mishap occurred, they were to 
sail as a flying squadron for a cruise in the Pacific. As it turned 
out, the junction was never made, and the proposed plan was 
not carried out ; but perhaps it was just as well in the end, for 
even if they had been together it would have been hard for 
them to accomplish more than they did separately, as we shall 
see by following the adventures that befell them. 







i^iiL! 1 



DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE. 191 

Soon after reaching their first cruising-ground the '• Consti- 
tution " and " Hornet " put into San Salvador, where they found 
the sloop-of-war '' Bonne Citoyenne " lying in tlie harbor. The 
English sloop could not be induced to come out and fight, 
although Bainbridge promised not to interfere ; so leaving the 
" Hornet " to blockade her. the "■ Constitution " sailed away on 
a cruise. She had been out only three days, when, c^n the 29th 
of December, being then aljout ten leagues from the coast of 
Brazil, at nine in the morning she sighted two vessels to the 
northeast. These were the British 38-gun frigate " Java," under 
Capt. Henry Lambert, and an American merchantman, a prize 
of the ''Java." The '' Constitution " stood for the strangers; 
but at eleven she tacked to the southward and eastward to draw 
the ''Java " away from th^ coast, and also to separate her from 
the prize, which in the distance Captain Bainbridge . mistook for 
a ship-of-war. This course was kept up for some time, the 
"Java," which had now hoisted English colors, gradually lessen- 
ing her distance, when at about half-past one Captain Bainbridge 
hauled up his courses and took in his royals, tacked ship, and 
stood for the enemy. Half an hour later the battle began with 
a broadside from the " Constitution." 

The ships were now half a mile apart, steering to the east- 
ward on parallel courses. The " Constitution " had the advan- 
tage in guns, and she carried fifty more men than the '' Java ; " 
but they were so nearly a match that the difference could not 
have affected the result, whichever way it turned out. The 
" Java " was a faster ship, and she had therefore greatly the 
advantage in manoeuvring. She was constantly trying to get 
in position to rake, and the " Constitution " was constantly 



102 THE BOYS OF 181-2. 

on the watch to baffle her. The wheel of the American frigate 
was shot away early in the action ; but this injury was quickly 
remedied, and never was a vessel handled with greater skill. 

Soon after the attack began. Captain Bainbridge was wounded 
by a musket-ball in the hip. Init he refused to leave his post. A 
few minutes later a piece of langrage entered his thigh, causing 
intense pain ; but still he stayed on deck directing the movements 
of his ship as calmly as if his men were at drill instead of in 
battle. The firing liad now lasted forty minutes, and no great 
damage had been done, owing to the distance between the ships ; 
Bainbridge became impatient, and determined to close with the 
" Java " in spite of her raking. So he set his foresail and main- 
sail, and luffed up close to hei'. pouring in that furious fire for 
which the American frigates were to acquire their greatest fame. 

In a few minutes the head of the '• Java's " bowsprit was shot 
away. Bainbridge now wore ship, and the " Java," as the 
quickest way to get about, tacked ; but unfortunately for her, her 
headsails were gone, and after coming up in the wind she paid off 
slowly. The American captain, ever on the watch, saw his 
opportunity, and luffing up astern of her, as she was in the midst 
of her manoeuvre, raked her deck ; then wearing again, he re- 
sumed his course and the ''Java" was once more alongside. But 
she had iDetter be anywhere else ; for the American gunners, 
cool and steady, were now firing 3vitli fatal precision. She seemed 
to have become a mere target floating alongside. Captain Lam- 
bert bore up toward the '' Constitution," trying to get on board ; 
but at this instant his foremast fell and his design was frustrated. 
A few minutes more, and the "-Java's" maintopmast tottered and 
came down ; next the gaff and spanker boom were shattered ; 



DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE. 193 

and finally down came the mizzen-mast, leaving her nothing 
but the ragged stump of the liiain-mast above the deck. On all 
sides the men were falling at the guns, under the withering fire 
of grape-shot from the " Constitution." Captain Lambert was 
mortally wounded, and the command fell to Lieutenant Chads, 
the first lieutenant, who refused to believe himself beaten. But 
he could do nothing ; his fire ceased, and as the clouds of smoke 
rolled away they disclosed on the one hand a dismasted wreck, 
and on the other a frigate sound and whole, except for some 
slight damage to her spars and rigging. So there was nothing 
left for him but surrender. 

In this gallant action — gallant- on the enemy's side as well 
as on our own — the " Constitution " had thirty-four killed and 
wounded, and the '' Java " one hundred and fifty. Captain 
Lambert died soon after of his wounds. Among the prisoners 
was General Hislop, the Governor of Bomba} , who was on his way 
to assume his post. The General and all the other prisoners, 
whom Captain Bainbridge treated with the utmost courtesy and 
kindness, were paroled, and landed at San Salvador. The ship 
could not be taken into port, and two days after the action, on 
New Year's eve, she was set on fire and blown up. The '' Con- 
stitution " now gave up her cruise in the Pacific and returned 
to the United States. 

With this battle ended the year 1812, the most memorable 
that' ever occurred in the history of our navy. For though 
gallant things had been done before this time, during the Revo- 
lution and the war with Tripoli, and though in the later wars, 
as well as in the later years of this same war, the record of 
naval achievements showed no falling olf in brilliancy, there was 



194 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

a splendor so full, so dtazzling, and so unexpected about this 
uninterrupted succession of triumphs on the ocean, that it would 
be hard to describe in words the depths to which it stirred the 
nation. That despised and belittled navy, — despised alike at 
home and abroad. — which the Government had proposed at the 
outbreak of war to lay up, that it might ]je kept out of harm's 
way as a plaything and an ornament fit only for peaceful use, 
had shown itself a most terrible engine of offensive war. Those 
much-abused frigates, of which we had but half a dozen for the 
nation's defence, had met the frigates of Great Britain in battle, 
and had conquered, — conquered tlie victors of Camperdown and 
Cape St. Vincent, of Aboukir and Trafalgar ; beaten them on 
their own ground in honest hard fighting, beaten them thrice 
over, and beaten them as they had never been beaten before. 
The bitter strife of political parties, the truckling to this or that 
foreign State, which had vexed the councils of the nation for 
twenty years, and lowered the self-respect of Americans, was 
cast aside in united rejoicings at the success with which Hull, 
Decatur, and Bainbridge had asserted and maintained Ameri- 
can independence and the rights of American citizens ; and 
the country at last began to look upon the navy as its best pro- 
tection, and as the stanchest supporter of the national honor. 

The frigate actions of 1812 had produced results almost as 
marked in England as in America. For twenty years English 
ships had been accustomed to victory over every enemy, even 
in the face of heavy odds. The nation looked upon them as 
invincible. About tlie Americans it knew so little and cared 
so little that it had hardly felt any general interest or concern 
in the war. The loss of the '• Guerriere" came upon it like a clap 



DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE. 195 

of thunder in a clear sky. Of course some reason must be dis- 
covered for so extraordinary an event, and it was said that the 
frigate was old and rotten, and her powder was bad. But as 
capture followed capture, as the "■ Frolic," the "' Macedonian, " 
and the ''• Java " were surrendered in quick succession, the first 
murmurs of discontent swelled to an angry outcrv- The naval 
administration was bitterly assailed, and called upon to take 
more energetic measures. It was necessary to devise something 
to serve as an excuse for defeat. Then arose that foolish clamor 
that the frigates of the Americans were not frigates at all, but 
ships-of-the-line in disguise, and that the naval authorities of 
Great Britain had been hoodwinked by a Yankee trick into send- 
ing frigates to fight them. As if they had not had scores of op- 
portunities — in the Mediterranean, on the American coast, and 
even in their own ports of Southampton and Gibraltar — to find 
out what the "• Constitution " and her sister ships were like ; and 
as if anything but their own folly and arrogance had prevented 
them from seeing long before that our constructors had built for 
us superior frigates ! 




CHAPTER XII. 

CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 

HE two earliest actions of importance in the year 
1813, though nearly six months apart in time, 
belong together, for they form the two great 
events in the career of one of our bravest officers ; 
and unless I am much mistaken, the second of 
these events, which ended so tragically in defeat and death, was 
in great measure a consequence and outcome of the first. All 
our captains who were actively engaged during the first months 
of the war had carried out their enterprises gallantly, but still 
with discretion and circumspection, as became them in fighting 
against the greatest naval power in the world ; but Lawrence, 
borne beyond the bounds of prudence by one brilliant success, 
risked most where the danger was greatest, and so came to an 
untimely end. 

We left the "Hornet" in December, 1812, blockading the 
''Bonne Citoyenne" at San Salvador, where Bainbridge and Law- 
rence had found her. As she was just equal to the " Hornet " 
in force, — what little difference there was being in favor of 
the Englishman, — Captain Lawrence, according to the gallant 
fashion of those days, sent a challenge to Captain Greene, who 
commanded the " Bonne Citoyenne," proposing a fight between 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 



197 



the two sloops. He gave his pledge, in which Commodore 
Bainbridge joined, that the " Constitution " should not interfere, 
in order that it might be an equal match, where skill and pluck 
alone should decide the battle. Such a thing is hardly likely to 
happen now, when 
war is carried on so 
much more with an 
eye to business ; but 
at that time a battle 
between two well- 
matched ships was 
looked on as a sort 
of tournament, — a 
rough kind of play 
perhaps, but still lit- 
tle more than a game 
where men went in to 
win as much for the 
sake of the sport as 
for the real earnest. 
It had this of good 
a])Out it, that it made 
men look upon their 

enemies in some sort as friendly rivals, and it took away part 
of the bitterness which war engenders. 

Of this generous and chivalric spirit no man had more than 
Lawrence, and it was a deep disappointment to him when 
Captain Greene refused to accept his challenge. Here is what 
the Englishman's letter said : — 




JAMES LAWRENCE. 



198 TlIK BOYS OF 1812. 

" 1 am convinced, sir, if such rencontre were to take place, the result 
could not be long dubious, and would terminate favorably to the ship 
which I have the honor to command ; but I am equally convinced that 
Commodore Bainbridge could not swerve so mucli from the paramount 
duty he owes to his country, as to become an inactive spectator, and see 
a ship belonging to the very squadron under his orders fall into the 
hands of an enemy. This reason operates powerfully on my mind for 
not exposing the ' Bonne Citoyenne ' to a risk upon terms so manifestly 
disadvantageous as those proposed by Commodore Bainbridge. Indeed, 
nothing could give me greater pleasure than complying with the wishes 
of Captain Lawrence ; and I earnestly hope that chance will afford him 
an opportunity of meeting the ' Bonne Citoyenne ' under different cir- 
cumstances, to enable him to distinguish himself in the manner he is 
now so desirous of doing." 

How little Captain Greene meant of these bold professions, 
and how small was the confidence he really had in his pretension 
that the result would l^e favorable to him, was shown soon after ; 
for on the 6th of January the "-Constitution" sailed for home, 
leaving the " Hornet " alone before the port. Here she re- 
mained until the 24tli, nearly three weeks, waiting for the 
'^ Bonne Citoyenne" to redeem her captain's promise. At length 
the " Montague," a seventy-four which had sailed from Rio on 
purpose to relieve the English sloop, hove in sight, and chased 
the " Hornet " into the harbor, where she was safe for the moment 
in neutral waters. But Lawrence placed no great reliance upon 
such protection, for he knew that naval officers under strong 
temptation did not always show a due respect for neutral terri- 
tory ; and in the night he wore ship and stood out to the 
southward, thus eluding the enemy. In this way the ''Bonne 
Citoyenne " got safely off ; but the " Hornet " got off too, 



cAPTAm jamp:s lawrexce. 100 

although ci seventy-four had come out for the purpose of cap- 
turiug her. 

After leavmg San Salvador the '' Hornet " cruised off Surinam 
and the neighboring coasts. On the 24th of February, at the 
entrance of the Demerara River, she discovered an English brig- 
of-war, the "' Espiegle," at anchor outside the bar. Lawrence 
was forced to beat around Carobano Bank in order to get at her ; 
and while thus manoeuvering, about the middle of the afternoon 
he discovered another brig edging down for him. Soon the 
stranger hoisted English colors, and Lawrence beat to quarters 
and cleared ship for action, keeping close by the wind in order 
to get the weather-gage. The new enemy was the brig " Pea- 
cock," under Capt. William Peake. It was nearly half-past 
five when the two ships passed each other and exchanged broad- 
sides at half-pistol shot. As the "• Peacock " was endeavoring 
to get about, Lawrence l)ore up, and running close up to her 
on the starboard quarter, began that furious and well-aimed 
cannonade which nothing in this war had thus far been able 
to withstand. Li fifteen minutes the enemy's ship was riddled, 
— literally cut to pieces ; her captain, Peake, was killed, and 
the lieutenant who took his place, seeing that he could hold out 
no longer, surrendered. Immediately after, the ensign was 
hoisted union down in the fore-rigging as a signal of distress, 
and presently the mainmast fell. 

Lieutenant Shubrick was sent on board the prize, and re- 
ported that she had six feet of water already in her hold. No 
time was to be lost, for she was sinking fast. The two ships 
came to anchor, and boats were hurriedly lowered and sent to 
rescue the prisoners, and first of all the wounded. Some of the 



200 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

shot-holes were plugged, the guns were thrown overboard, and 
everything was done to lighten the ship, by pumping and bail- 
ing her out, so that she might float until the men could be taken 
off. But it was too late ; the water was rising higher and 
higher, and in a few brief moments the brig went down, carry- 
ing with her several of the crew and three of the American 
blue-jackets who were trying to save them. The rest of the 
"Hornet's" people who were still on board only saved them- 
selves by jumping to a boat that swung at the stern ; and 
four of the enemy, who succeeded in climbing up to the foretop, 
clung there till they were taken off by the Americans. 

The '• Hornet " had but two of her crew killed, having lost 
more men in saving the enemy than in lighting the battle. 
Three others were wounded. The ship's rigging and sails were 
cut here and there, but her hull had not a single scar. 

The " Peacock," on the other hand, was a sinking Avreck ; her 
sides showed numerous shot-holes, and she had forty casualties 
among her crew. The English chroniclers in their descriptions 
of this as well as other naval actions lay much stress upon the 
fact that the '' Hornet " was armed with heavier carronades, 
carrying thirty-two's where the '' Peacock " had only twenty- 
four's ; but as some one has well said, '^ the weight of shot that 
do not hit is of no great moment.'' It is clear that in this 
fight, as in the others, it was skilful gunnery and firing low 
that settled the result. The " Peacock " was a smart and well- 
kept ship, her decks well cleaned, her bright-work spotless ; in 
fact, so well known was Captain Peake for his attention to these 
small details, that his ship was called the " yacht of the navy." 
But polished brass-work and well-scrabbed decks are not the 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 201 

things that win battles, as poor Captain Peake found in that 
bitter quarter of an hour when he met his death and his ship 
was riddled till she sank. 

The •• Hornet " was now crowded with prisoners, and she 
turned her head toward home, arriving at Holmes's Hole in 
Martha's Vineyard some four weeks after the fight. Lawrence, 
always generous and true-hearted, kept a watchful eye to the 
comfort of his prisoners, treating them not as enemies, but as 
unfortunates whom the chance of war had thrown into his hands. 
So strongly did they feel the captain's courtesy, that upon their 
coming to New York the officers of the captured ship wrote him 
a letter, in which were these words : " So much was done to 
alleviate the distressing and uncomfortable situation in which 
we were placed when received qn board the sloop you command, 
that we cannot better express our feelings than by saying we 
ceased to consider ourselves prisoners." If all officers would 
follow the good example of Lawrence, how much miglit be done 
to lessen the sufferings of war and soften its ferocity and 
bitterness ! 

In the following spring Lawrence was given a larger ship 
as a recognition of his services and merits. This ship was the 
"Chesapeake," which from her earliest history had been unlucky 
upon nearly every cruise. She was then refitting at Boston, 
and her former captain, Evans, having been sent on sick-leave, 
Lawrence was ordered to take his place, and arrived in Boston 
about the middle of May. 

Not only was the ship an unlucky ship, which is always a bad 
thing among the simple-minded blue-jackets, but she was at this 
time in bad condition. The crew had come home from their last 



202 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

cruise dissatisfied ; and having some dispute about their prize- 
money, many of them had left the ship. New hands were being 
shiiDped from day to day, but it was difficult to get good men, 
and several foreign sailors were taken, — some English and some 
Portuguese, — who showed a mutinous disposition. Some of the 
officers too had lately left the ship, and others less experienced 
had been ordered in their place. In time, no doubt, a captain 
like Lawrence would have made his ship's company as good as 
the ^'Hornet's" had been when she destroyed the "-Peacock" 
so quickly and so easily ; but he had orders to go to sea as soon 
as he could get the chance. 

Outside the harbor lay one vessel of the enemy, the frigate 
'•' Shannon," commanded by Capt. Philip Broke. She was of 
nearly the same force as the " Chesapeake," though whatever 
difference there might be was in favor of the American. But 
discipline and training are of far greater moment than a slight 
difference in the numl^er either of guns or men, as the sequel 
proved ; and in these things Broke's ship was far superior. She 
had been long at sea, and most of her crew were veteran tars, 
whom Broke, one of the ablest of the English captains, had 
trained and drilled and practised until they worked like a 
machine. 

Now it must be confessed that it was a little rash in Law- 
rence, who knew how far his crew was from being shipshape, 
and ready to meet an enemy, to go out thus hurriedly and give 
battle. But there were his orders, which he must obey. He 
did not like to say — who would have liked to say it in his 
place ? — that his ship was not ready ; for Captain Broke had 
sent away the other ships that had been with him so that he 



'^!^^!Wi 




CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 205 

might give the " Chesapeake '' just such a chance as Lawrence 
himself had given the English sloop at San Salvador, and by 
remaining there alone, Broke offered him a sort of challenge to 
come out. In fact Broke wrote a challenge, as fine and manly 
a letter as was ever written by a gallant officer, but it happened 
that Lawrence sailed before it was delivered. Besides all this, 
it was to be expected that Lawrence, after what he had seen 
of the ''Peacock," and after the victories of Hull and Decatur 
and Bainbridge, should somewhat underrate his foe ; forget- 
ting that this time his ship, besides being of lesser force than 
the other American frigates, was wanting in that very quality 
which had insured them their success, — the discipline and train- 
ing of the crew. 

On Tuesday morning, the 1st of June, while the " Chesa- 
peake " was lying at anchor off Fort Lidependence, in Boston 
harbor, the " Shannon " appeared outside, evidently waiting to 
join battle. As soon as the enemy was seen, Lawrence fired a 
gun and hoisted his flag ; then, after making the last prepara- 
tions, when everything was ready, the anchor was hove up, and 
with all her studding-sails set, and colors flying at each mast- 
head, the " Chesapeake " left President's Roads and put out to 
sea. Along the shore, upon every hill-top and headland, people 
had gathered to see the battle ; but both the frigates, their great 
clouds of canvas filled with the light southwesterly breeze, made 
oft' to the eastward and before long were lost to view. 

About the middle of the afternoon the "■ Shannon " hove to, 
to await the coming of the " Chesapeake." The latter, having 
already cleared for action, presently took in her top-gallant sails 
and royals, and hauled the courses up, and a little before six 



206 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

o'clock shot up alongside of the enemy. In an instant the 
battle has begun in all its fury. Lawrence if he desires can pass 
under the " Shannon's " stern and rake her, but he is confident 
of success, and scorns his advantage. So he turns, and pressing 
close along the enemy's side, receives the fire of each gun as it 
is brouo-ht to bear. Half the '-Shannon's" cannon have been 
loaded with kegs of musket-balls, and at the short range these 
make terrible havoc, and as mischance will have it, above all 
among the officers. At the first fire White the sailing-master 
is killed, and Lawrence is w^ounded, but he does not leave the 
deck. The guns of the -Chesapeake" reply, but the raw crew 
are not equal to such w^ork as is required of them in opposing 
Broke's well-trained gunners. Presently the helmsman is shot 
down, and tlfe ship, coming up in the wind, loses headway and 
falls oft" with her stern and quarter exposed to a raking fire. 
The enemy makes the most of this ; broadside after broadside 
comes pouring in, smashing in the after-ports of the '' Chesa- 
peake," and killing the men at the guns or driving them away. 
The slaughter among the officers goes on ; the third lieutenant 
is killed, then the marine officer and the boatswain. A moment 
later and the ships are foul, the " Shannon's " anchor hooking 
in the quarter-port of her antagonist. The withering fire of 
the enemy continues, — the heavy round shot, followed, now that 
the ships have closed, by the rain of grape and musket-balls. 
Ludlow, the first lieutenant, the captain's main reliance, is twice 
wounded and falls ; and last of all the gallant Lawrence him- 
self, who until now has kept his post, though weak from loss of 
blood, receives his mortal wound and is carried below, exclaiming 
as he leaves the deck, " Don't give up the ship ! " 



CAPTAIN JAMP:S LAWRENCE. 207 

It was of no use now, — this last injunction, — for there was 
none to heed it. The quarter-deck had been stripped of all its 
officers except the midshipmen, who after all were only boys, and 
three of whom have fallen. Lawrence, before he is carried oft', 
orders the boarders to be summoned, but the frightened bugler 
cannot soimd the call. The captain's aides were sent below to pass 
the word, l)ut the gun's crews on the main-deck, in the confusion, 
fail to understand the order. On the upper deck the men, un- 
certain, without a leader, are flinching from their guns. Broke, 
from his forecastle, sees that the x\mericans are weakening, 
and calls away the men to board. His .boatswain, a veteran of 
Rodney's fleet, lashes the ships together, and in an instant 
twenty of the crew, led hy their captain, liave leaped the rail 
and gained the "' Chesapeake's " quarter-deck. The deck is piled 
with Ijodies, but there is no one here to make resistance. On 
the forecastle are gathered a fragment of the frightened crew, 
and against these the enemy now advances. They are in no 
condition to resist : a few struggle to reach the hatchway ; others 
climl) over the bow ; the rest throw down their arms and call for 
quarter. 

For a moment there is now a pause, but presently some of 
the men below make a rush for the deck, and the tight begins 
anew. It is a scene of wild confusion. The enemy is now 
crowding on board, — officers, marines, blue-jackets; there seems 
no end to their numbers. The " Chesapeake's" topmen, who as 
3'et have taken no part in the struggle, now pick the boarders 
oft' with small arms, but they are soon driven from their stations. 
The two remaining lieutenants, Budd and Cox, who have mean- 
time come up from the deck below, are both wounded. The 



208 TIIK BOYS OF 1S12. 

gallant Ludlow, striving, mortally wounded as he is, to drag 
himself up the ladder, is cut down as he reaches the hatchwa}'. 
The chaplain, Livermore, seizes a pistol and fires without effect 
at Broke, who in return makes one furious cut with his sword, 
nearly dividing his assailant's arm. The '' Shannon's " first lieu- 
tenant hauls down the flag and bends an English ensign ; Ijut in 
the hurry he hoists it with the old colors still above, and the guns' 
crews, whom he has left on board his ship, suppose from this that 
the boarders have been defeated. So they open again, and kill 
their own lieutenant and several of his men. Captain Broke, 
urging his boarders on, is half stunned by a blow from the musket 
of a marine, who clubs with his guu since lie cannot fire ; and a 
sailor, following the marine, cuts down the captain, only to be 
himself cut down by one of the enemy. A few minutes of des- 
perate hand-to-hand conflict with pike and pistol and cutlass, 
and the Americans on deck are overpowered and yield. The 
crew below, not daring to come up, are still making a show of 
resistance ; but a few shots fired down the hatchway put an end 
to the struggle, and the " Chesapeake " is in the hands of the 
enemy. 

In this wonderful action, which from beginning to end lasted 
only fifteen minutes, the " Chesapeake," out of twenty officers, 
lost seventeen in killed and wounded. Even had this worst of 
all disasters not befallen her, she might perhaps have still been 
captured, for as we know her crew were not prepared to fight, 
having had no training. But had not Lawrence and Ludlow 
both fallen at the critical moment when the two ships fouled, 
it is certain that one or the other of them would have prolonged 
the contest, and that the enemy's loss, large as it was, would 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 20 'J 

have been larger yet. The two ships were carried into Halifax 
with their wounded captains still on board, but Lawrence died 
before he reached the shore. Captain Broke, whose wounds 
were not so serious, recovered, and was made a baronet for his 
victory, which, as neither friend nor enemy could deny, had 
been gallantly and bravely won. Of the officers engaged on one 
side or the other in that eventful battle, many were killed or 
died of their wounds, and nearly all who survived the fight have 
long since been gathered to their fathers ; Imt it is a strange 
fact that the highest officer in Her Majesty's Navy to-day, the 
senior Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Provo Wallis, was the lieuten- 
ant who took the " Shannon " into Halifax after her bloody 
victory three quarters of a century ago. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 

F the vessels in commission at the opening of 
the war, a fine friyi;ate of the third class was 
the "Essex,'' very fast, but poorl^^ armed with 
carronades. She had been for some months 
under the command of Captain Porter, of whom 
wo have heard in the war with France, and 
whose life had already been so full of active service, that though 
only two-and-thirty years of age, we think of him as a much 
older man. 

The " Essex " had first got to sea for a war-cruise on the 
od of August, and soon after, on a hazy night, she came up with 
a fleet of the enemy's transports sailing under the convoy of a 
frigate. Stealing up silently alongside the rearmost transport, 
Porter ordered her to draw out of the convoy on pain of being 
fired into. This order the transport hastened to obey ; and the 
convoying ship, fearing that by delay she might lose all her 
convoy, went on her way without molesting the captor. The 
transport had one hundred and fifty troops on board ; and Porter, 
putting all the prisoners on their parole, ransomed the prize and 
left her to make her own way into port. 

A few days later the '' Essex," being then disguised as 
a merchantman, with her ports closed and her upper masts 



THE CRUISE OF THE " ESSEX." 211 

housed, made a strange sail, which proved to be the enemy's 
sloop-of-war '' Alert." The English sloop ran down for her, 
deceived by the disguise. The '^ Alert" was not a good ship for 
her size, and her size was only half that of her antagonist ; but 
w^hen she found out what the '-'Essex " was, she made no effort to 
escape. No doubt the English, who were accustomed, in fighting 
Frenchmen and Spaniards, to engage a ship of almost any force, 
thought that the Americans would be so frightened by an Eng- 
lishman's attack that they would strike immediately ; for this 
was before the " Guerriere " had surrendered to the "Constitu- 
tion." But they received a needed lesson from this engagement, 
for in ten minutes after the firing had begun they found their 
ship in a sinking condition, with seven feet of water in her hold ; 
and after a resistance so feeble that the encounter could hardly 
be called a battle, they yielded her a prize. She was the first 
vessel of the enemy's navy that was captured in the war. 

The '' Essex" now ran in to the Delaware, where she remained 
some time, making preparations for a more extended cruise. 
This cruise was a cherished plan of the captain's own devising, 
and the scene of it was to be a hitherto untried field, — the 
Pacific Ocean. At that day the Pacific, with its vast stretches 
of sea-coast, and the innumerable islands studding its broad sur- 
face, was almost unknown, except to the English and American 
whalers. The United States had no settled territory bordering 
on the great ocean, and our ships-of-war had hardly been seen 
at all upon its waters. The -' Essex," on her first cruise in 1798, 
under Captain Preble, had gone as far as Batavia, by way of the 
Cape of Good Hope ; and she was now to be the first vessel 
of the navy to go around Cape Horn. 



212 THE HOYS OF 1812. 

Wliat, then, was Captain Porter s object in sailing into this 
remote and almost unknown sea ? It was this : he knew that 
the enemy would never expect to find onr cruisers there, and 
therefore would have sent none of their own. If, then, he could 
evade the frigates that were patrolling up and down the Atlantic 
from Halifax to Bermuda, and from Bermuda to Jamaica, and 
all through the Windward Islands, and on the South American 
coast as far as Rio de Janeiro, and if he could once double the 
Cape and find his way into the Pacific, he would have before 
him a field of operations where he might be almost free from 
interruption. He would find there numbers of American whaling- 
ships, which generally went unarmed, and which he could pro- 
tect and succor if they found themselves in any danger ; and he 
would find also numbers of British whalers wiiich were fitted 
out as privateers, carrying from five or six to twenty guns, to 
whom the Americans that they might meet would fall an easy 
prey. To assist the first and to capture and destroy the second 
was now Porter's object. Sooner or later, he thought the 
enemy's Government would no doubt hear of his depredations, 
and send out ships-of-war to capture him. But in those days 
of slow communication between distant places it would take 
a long time to accomplish this, and meanwhile the bold Ameri- 
can would be able to carry everything before him; and even 
when the enemy arrived in force, he was prepared to take his 
chances either in flight or in battle as circumstances might 
require. 

The original plan, as I have said already, was for the 
"Essex "to. go to the Pacific with two other vessels, — the 
" Constitution " under Commodore Bainbridge, and the " Hor- 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 215 

net " under Captain Lawrence. She was to start alone from the 
Delaware when the others sailed from Boston, and the three 
ships were to rendezvous near the coast of Brazil. The " Essex " 
went first to the Cape de Verde Islands. Proceeding thence 
to the westward on his way to the appointed place of meeting", 
Captain Porter fell in with an enemy's brig-of-war, the "• Noc- 
ton." The '' Nocton " was a small ship for the "Essex" to 
fight, and Porter woidd not order the guns to be fired at her, 
supposing that she would surrender. But she began to manoeu- 
vre to get into a raking position, thinking that perhaps she 
might fire one broadside and then escape in the confusion. So 
Porter concluded to make short work of her, and coming close 
alongside he poured a voile}' of musketry upon her decks. This 
was enough, and the " Nocton " immediately struck. She was 
a stanch vessel, and therefore Porter sent her to the United States 
in charge of one of his lieutenants. It was a fortunate capture, 
for the brig had on board more than fifty thousand dollars 
in gold and silver; and as the "Essex'' was to be gone on 
a long cruise, with no prospect of receiving money from the 
United States, the captain needed all that he could get. 

The "Essex" now continued on her way to the island of 
Fernando Noronha, near the Brazilian coast, where Porter ex- 
pected to meet Commodore Bainbridge, or at least to hear some- 
thing of his movements. It had been arranged that both the 
ships should be disguised as Englishmen, in order that the 
enemy's squadron might not discover their presence in those seas. 
So when the " Essex " arrived off the island she lay to outsidci 
and Lieutenant Downes went in a boat to the town and told the 
governor that she was the ship " Fanny " of London. Captain 



216 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Johnson, bound for Rio. On his return Dovvnes reported that 
the governor had told him that two British ships-of-war, the 
" Acasta " of forty-four guns, and the " Morgiana " of twenty, had 
departed from the island only the week before, and that Captain 
Kerr of the '*•' Acasta " had left a letter for Capt. Sir James Yeo 
of the " Southampton," which was to be sent to England by the 
first conveyance. As soon as Captain Porter got this message, 
he knew that the pretended English ships were not the "Acasta" 
and "-Morgiana" at all, but the "Constitution" and the "Hor- 
net," and that the letter from Captain Kerr to Sir James Yeo 
was really from Commodore Bainbridge to himself. He there- 
fore sent word to the governor that the " captain of the 
' Fa;nny ' " knew Sir James Yeo, and would willingly take him 
the letter if the governor would send it to him ; which the 
governor immediately proceeded to do. « Here is the letter : — 

My dear Mediterranean Friend, — Probably you may stop here. 
Don't attempt to water ; it is attended with too many difficulties. I 
learned before I left Emjland that you were bound to Brazil coast. 
If so, perhaps we shall meet at San Salvador or at Rio Janeiro. I 
should be happy to meet and converse on our old affairs of captivity. 
Recollect our secret in these times. 

Your friend of H. M. Ship " Acasta," 

Kerr. 

Sir James Yeo, of H. B. M. Ship " Southamptou." 

This was apparently all the letter, and it would not have 
given Sir James much information about the Americans if 
he had received it, though its mysterious phrases would have 
puzzled him not a little. But on holding the letter before the 
fire these words coidd be read between the lines : — 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 217 

'' 1 am bound off San Salvador, thence off Cape Frio, where I intend 
to cruise until the 1st of January. Go off Cape Frio, to the northward 
of Rio, and keep a lookout for me." 

As soon as he read this. Captain Porter made sail at once for 
Cape Frio. He remained cruising about here for two or three 
weeks, waiting for the " Constitution," and occasionally going 
in chase of a strange sail. Once he succeeded in making a cap- 
ture of an English schooner, which he sent in as a prize in 
charge of one of his midshipmen. He could get no information 
that was to ])e relied on, but was all the while disturbed by 
vague rumors of sometliing going on among the English and 
American ships in the neighborhood. At last, upon putting 
in at St. Catherine's, he heard that an iVmerican sloop-of-war 
had been brought into Kio Ijy the "Montagu" ship-of-the-line, 
and that an American frigate had sunk an English frigate. He 
concluded then that the captured sloop must be the "■ Hornet," 
and the victorious frigate the " Constitution,"' and that there 
was not much reason for his delaying longer in those parts. 
As it turned out, the rumor about the frigate was true, for, as 
we have already seen, the '' Constitution " had captured and 
sunk the "Java;" but the other story was false, for instead of be- 
ing captured, the " Hornet " had gone off to the coast of Guiana, 
where she succeeded in sinking the " Peacock," after which she 
had followed the ''Constitution" home' ''At any rate," thought 
Porter, " the cruise in the Pacific can be made just as well with- 
out the help of the other ships, and they do not seem to be any- 
where hereabout, so I may as well go on without them." 

This determined, the "Essex" laid in a stock of fresh pro- 
visions, and made her final preparations for the passage around 



218 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the Cape. The captain expected to be gone for a long time, and 
in fact it was nearly two years before he finally returned. Dur- 
ing the whole period, he was to be cruising- in those distant 
seas, with no word of direction or encouragement from home, 
and with the whole care and responsibility of his ship's company 
resting upon him alone. But he was a man of such iron nerve 
and self-reliance and strength of purpose, that there was little 
danger that his spirits and his energy would ever flag. It was to 
him that all on board the ship were to look for support and guid- 
ance, and as they soon found out, they could have had no better 
man for their commander. For Captain Porter was a bold and 
hardy seaman, who knew his business well, and who feared neither 
the elements nor the enemy ; and though he believed in strict 
obedience, and insisted upon having it, he believed too in light- 
ening as far as in him lay the burdens of his men. He despised 
the cat-o' -nine-tails, which in those rough times was always used 
to flog the sailors on board our ships-of-war, and never would 
inflict this puuishment when he could bring about his object by 
other means. Two hours in every afternoon, from four o'clock 
till six, when there was no serious work on hand, he allowed the 
blue-jackets to skylark as they liked, and at these times they 
could throw off the restraints of discipline and frolic to their 
hearts' content. The captain was always careful too about the 
men's health, and their sleeping-places, and all tlie little matters 
about their daily life which added to their comfort and their 
strength. So that the men in turn forgot their hardships, and 
were his devoted followers in storm and battle, only waiting for 
his word to do their duty in any way that it might please him 
to ask it of them. 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 219 

After a stormy passage round Cape Horn the " Essex," about 
the middle of March, 1813, appeared off the port of Valparaiso. 
At this time our relations with Spain were not over-friendly, .and 
Captain Porter did not expect a very cordial reception. He 
learned, however, that Chili had shaken off the Spanish author- 
ity not long before, and being a young and small American 
republic, she was only too glad to welcome a ship from the oldest 
and most powerful of the free States of the Western Continent. 
Instead of indifferent or nearly hostile Spaniards, the ''Essex" 
found in the Chilian inhabitants only devoted friends. The ship 
fired a salute in honor of the town, and the captain visited the 
Chilian governor, and received his visit in return. All was 
hospitality and cordial good-feeling, and stores and provisions 
were supplied in abundance. 

The Government of (Jliili could thus be relied on as at least 
a neutral in the war. It was far otherwise with Peru, which 
was still a Spanish province. On the day before Captain Porter 
left Valparaiso, an American whaler had come in with the report 
that several English whaling privateers were off the Peruvian 
coast, and that the news of the declaration of war had just 
reached them. The " Essex," though she had only been in port 
a week, lost no time in putting out to sea, to reach the enemy's 
cruising-ground. Soon Porter fell in with another American, 
the '' Charles," Avhose captain told him that the Englishmen 
were not the only enemies to be found there, for a Spanish pri- 
vateer out of Callao, the principal port of Peru, had recently 
chased the ''• Charles" and had captured two of her companions, 
the " Walker " and the " Barclay." Here was a fine state of 
affairs ! It was well that the " Essex " was on the spot, and she 



220 THE BOYS OF 181-2. 

had arrived only just in time, for it was evident that between 
open enemies and piratical neutrals the unarmed Americans 
w^ould have little hope of safety. 

The "Essex," keeping the "Charles" in company, — for the 
whaler was only too glad to stay under the wing of her new and 
powerful protector, — now crowded all sail for the Peruvian 
coast. After a few hours she sighted a vessel in the distance 
Avhicli had the appearance of a ship-of-war disguised as a whaler, 
and which hoisted the Spanish flag. The American frigate, as 
a ruse, showed English colors, and fired a gun to leeward, which 
is the signal all the world over that a ship comes on a peaceful 
errand. At the same time the " Charles " sent up a union-Jack 
over her American flag, which meant that she was an American 
whom the pretended Englishman had made a prize. The strata- 
gems were successful, and the stranger, which was a Peruvian 
privateer, the " Nereyda," was completely deceived, thinking 
that the ■^' Essex " was one of the English whalers, and she fired 
a shot across the latter' s bow. This was an insult ; but Captain 
Porter wisely thought he could put up with it, as it was an 
insult to the English colors. In a short time a boat came from 
the " Nereyda " bringing her lieutenant, who, little thinking to 
whom he was talking, told the captain that he was cruising 
after American vessels, and had captured the " Walker " and 
" Barclay," whose crews were then prisoners on board the 
" Nereyda ; " but that the " Nimrod," an English privateer, had 
taken possession of the ships. 

" You know," he added, " that the Spaniards are faithful 
allies of the British, and that we always respect your flag ; and 
we are now endeavoring; to clear the seas of these Americans." 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 221 

When the lieutenant had finished his communication, and told 
Captain Porter all there was to tell, great was his surprise at 
seeing the British ensign lowered, and the stars and stripes 
going up to the peak of the " Essex." He was still more aston- 
ished when she fired two shots point blank at the " Nereyda," 
and the latter immediately hauled down her flag. He realized, 
too late, that he had been entrapped, and that he had revealed 
his perfidious acts to the very man from whom he most desired 
to conceal them. 

As there was no war with Spain, the "Nereyda" could not 
well be made a prize, for the captain knew that two wrongs do 
not make a right, and that, treacherous as had been her conduct, 
he could not stoop to retaliate. He released the twenty-three 
Americans that were confined in her hold, threw overboard her 
guns and light sails, and sent her back to the Viceroy of Peru, 
with a letter that was courteous and dignified, but whose lan- 
guage could not be misunderstood. His spirited action had the 
desired effect, and taught the Spaniards such a good lesson that 
the American whalers were never afterward molested by Peru- 
vian corsairs. 

The " Charles " now sailed to Coquimbo, and soon after the 
" Barclay " was recaptured. The "• Walker," however, and her 
captor the " Nimrod," which Porter most desired to find, had by 
this time disappeared. Taking the "Barclay " along, the "Essex" 
made for the Galapagos, — a group of uninhabited islands 
much used by the whaling-ships as a refuge and rendezvous. 
Good anchorage was to be found here, and whales abounded in 
the neighborhood ; but the principal product of the islands was the 
land-turtle. There were great numbers of these of large size. 



222 



IHE BOYS OF 1812. 



some of them as much as five feet across, and they would live for 
months in the ship's hold without food or water. They made 
delicious food, and the sailors found them an agreeable change 
from salt pork and hard-tack ; so that every ship calling at the 
islands took great quantities of them on board. 

Some years before, an Irishman named Patrick Watkins had 
deserted from a whale-ship, and had settled on one of the islands 




APPROACHING THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. 



at a place which came to be known as Pat's Landing. Here he 
had built himself a little cabin and planted a potato-patch, and he 
would s6ll potatoes and pumpkins to the whaling-crews for rum, 
to the use of which he was much addicted. He led a wretched 
life, becoming like a savage in appearance, his hair and beard 
matted, and his clothes in rags. He spent his time in wandering 
about the island, doing enough work to keep his garden-patch in 
order, but as soon as he had laid in a supply of liquor, keeping 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 223 

himself drunk until it was exhausted. He was a half-crazy 
creature, and once he frightened a negro boat-keeper into leaving 
the boat and going off with him as his slave. For this he was 
severely punished by the captain to whom the boat belonged, 
and ever after he sought to wreak vengeance upon the whalers. 
At last by some means or other he got a boat and sailed away 
to the mainland, where he was locked up by the authorities. 

All this happened shortly before the arrival of the "'Essex," 
so that the islands were now deserted. But on one of them was 
found a rough sort of post-office, made of a box nailed to a tree, 
in which the whalers touching at the island left letters contain- 
ing; news of their movements. Froili these it was learned that 
six whalers had put in here some time before with two thousand 
and five hundred barrels of oil. One of the letters was from the 
master of the American ship " Sukey," and read as follows : — ■ 

Ship Sakey. John Macy. 7| Months out. 150 barrels, 75 days 
from Lima. No oil Since Leaving that Port. Spaniards Very Savage 
Lost on the Braziel Bank John Sealin Apprentice to Capt. Benjamin 
Worth fell from the fore topsaill Yard In A Gale of wind Left Diana 
Capt. paddock 14 day since, 250 Barrels I Leave this port this Day with 
250 Turpen 8 Boat Load Wood Yesterday Went Up to Patts Landing 
East Side to the Starboard hand of the Landing? l} miles Saw 100 Tur- 
pen 20 Rods A part Road Very Bad. 

Yours Forever 

John Macy. 

This was a fair sample of the letters left at the Galapagos post- 
office. Captain Porter remained a fortnight among the islands, 
searching every hole and corner to find the whalers, and in the 
intervals exploring the land, and making sailing directions of 



224 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the coast, while the men spent the time when they were not busy 
with their duties, in catching turtles and in killing iguanas, — 
the big lizards that swarmed on the islands, which though not 
very pleasant to look at, were excellent to eat. Jack always likes 
a frolic on shore when he is not too much hampered by the re- 
straints of civilization; and the sailors of the "Essex" took great 
pleasure in their sports, although the heavy turtles had to be 
dragged over the rocky slopes a long distance to bring them to 
the ship. There was plenty of fishing, too, for those that stayed 
on board the ship, and flocks of penguins and pelicans and other 
strange birds lined the shore. Altogether it was a pleasant 
break, this stay at the Galapagos, and the ship revisited the 
spot several times, making it a sort of headquarters for the next 
six months. 

But all this was not war. and the men began to remember 
that it was not prize-money ; so when, after a fortnight of it, on 
the morning of the 29th of April, the cry of " Sail ho ! " was 
heard, every one was glad, and all the crew rushed eagerly 
on deck. A large sail was seen to the westward, and the 
"Essex" started in pursuit. Soon two more sail were discov- 
ered farther off. They were evidently whalers. If they should 
only prove to be enemies ! The crew went to work with willing 
hands, and bearing down under British colors, by nine o'clock 
the " Essex " had overtaken the nearest of the strange ships, 
the British whaler " Montezuma." The master came on board 
and was shown into the cabin, where he spent an hour in giving 
his supposed countryman such information as would help him 
to capture the Americans. Wliile this interview was going on, 
his people were taken on board the frigate as prisoners, and 



-■^l*... 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 227 

a prize crew was thrown into the whaler ; and when the master 
came on deck he was overcome with surprise at finding liimself 
in the hands of an enemy. 

The "Essex" lost no time here, but moved on to reach the 
other vessels. Soon the wind fell, and it became a dead calm, 
while they were still eight miles away. The boats were then 
got out, and the men pulled away for the whalers, under the 
command of Lieutenant Downes, the first lieutenant of the 
" Essex." After a hard row for nearly two hours they ap- 
proached the largest of the strangers, which flew the English 
flag, and which opened fire upon them. Nothing daunted, 
Lieutenant Downes kept steadily on and prepared to board. As 
he ran up alongside he hailed the shijD and demanded a surrender. 
" We surrender," was the reply, and down came the flag. 

No sooner had Downes taken possession than the second ship 
hauled down her colors without waiting for an attack. The 
prisoners were quickly .secured, crews were placed on board the 
whalers, and soon after the frigate was rejoined by her men, 
bringing with them the new prizes, — the " Georgiana " and the 
" Policy." It was a good day's work, for the three ships, 
together with their cargoes of oil, were valued at half a 
million. The " Georgiana," a fast, fine vessel, was made a ten- 
der, and the command of her was given to Lieutenant Downes, 
the* other ships being placed in the charge of the older 
midshipmen. 

The "Essex" now returned to the Galapagos. Here it was 
found that vessels had visited the island during her absence, and 
the "Georgiana" was sent out under Lieutenant Downes to look 
for them. The other prizes were refitted, and after a stay of 



228 THE HOYS OF 1812. 

several days the comTiiodore, as we may call him now that he 
had a squadron to command, got under way again with all his 
consorts, leaving instructions for Lieutenant Downes in a bottle, 
which according to a previous agreement was buried at the foot 
of the tree that marked the post-office. After a week's cruising, 
in which all the vessels were spread out so as to cover as much 
ground as possible, one of them sighted a strange sail, and the 
" Essex " started in chase. In a short time it fell calm, and 
the boats were got out, with the intention of coming near 
enough to the stranger to keep her in sight all night, but not 
to attack her unless it could be done by surprise. Soon after 
the boats got away, however, a breeze sprang up and the 
'■' Essex " again took up the pursuit. The enemy, who carried 
the British flag, waited for her to come up, supposing that she 
was British too ; and he was not undeceived until Porter had 
got alongside and made him a prize. The new capture was 
the whaler ''• Atlantic," carrying six 18-pounders, and like the 
others engaged both in privateering and in whaling. She was 
very fast, and with her little battery of heavy guns made 
a valuable addition to the squadron. 

No sooner was the capture of the *^' Atlantic " completed, 
than another whaler was reported in sight, and she too was 
quickly overhauled and taken. She was called the •' Green- 
wich," and like the " Atlantic " was a good sailer. On board 
the two ships were great quantities of supplies of all kinds, 
including water and provisions and naval stores, of which the 
" Essex " stood much in need ; especiall}^ of water, which is so 
scarce in the Galapagos that it is sometimes taken from the 
stomachs of the turtles, — the only sure place to find it. 



THE CRUISE OF THE " liSSEX." 229 

The captain now proceeded with his prizes toward the coast 
of South America, stopping on the way at the island of La Plata, 
where he left instructions for the " Georgiana " in case she 
should visit it. The letter was put in a bottle which was hung 
upon a tree, and the letters '' S. X. " were painted on a rock to 
attract attention. Lieutenant Downes would know that this 
meant ''Essex,'' but no one else would suspect it. Soon after- 
ward a Spanish brig from Panama was spoken, whose captain 
took the squadron for an English convoy and gave a full 
account of the affair with the "•' Nereyda ; " only he said that the 
*'' Nereyda " had attacked the American frigate and shot away 
her mainmast, but having suffered much in the action she 
thought it best to make her escape by running away, which she 
accomplished by throwing overboard her guns, — all which, as 
we know, was very different from what had actually happened. 

On the IDth the squadron arrived at Tumbez, on the South 
American coast, where it remained several days. The Governor 
of Tumbez, a ragged old gentleman, who would be of assistance — 
so Commodore Porter thought — in selling the prizes, came to 
the '' Essex " by invitation, and was received with full military 
honors. 

After staying a week at Tumbez the commodore began to be 
anxious about the fate of the " Georgiana," which had parted 
from him at the Galapagos four weeks before, and of which 
nothing had since been heard. At last, on the morning of 
tlie 24tli of June three vessels were seen coming into the harbor, 
one of which 'was the missing tender. The others were English 
whalers — the '' Hector " of eleven, and the '' Catherine " of 
eight gims — which the ''Georgiana" had captured. A third 



230 THE BOYS OF 181-2. 

prize, the "Rose" of eight guns, had also been seized b}^ the 
tender, but she was a dull sailer, and rather than be impeded 
b}^ her slo\v movements Lieutenant Downes had sent her to 
England with all the paroled prisoners, after throwing overboard 
her guns and cargo. 

Commodore Porter now had with him a fleet of nine excel- 
lent vessels, several of which were w^ell armed, and all of which 
had been supplied by the enemy. The best of the prizes in 
every way was the " Atlantic," and she was fitted out as a new 
tender in place of the "Georgiana." mounted with twenty guns, 
and christened the "Essex Junior." Lieutenant Downes was 
transferred to her, and the chaplain was placed in command 
of the " Georgiana," which would seem to be a very strange 
arrangement ; but the chaplains in those days were employed 
to teach navigation to the younger officers as well as to admin- 
ister spiritual advice, so that there was much that they would 
know about the management of a shi^D. Besides, the supply 
of regular officers was now almost at an end. even the youngest 
midshipmen being placed in charge of prizes. 

A plan of action for the remainder of the cruise was now 
drawn up by the commodore. The " Essex Junior " was to go 
to Valparaiso with the " Montezuma." " Policy," " Hector," and 
" Catherine," which were to be laid up or sold or sent to the 
United States ; though there was small chance that any of them 
would reach port in safety, while British cruisers swarmed in 
the Atlantic Ocean. The " Barclay," the recaptured American 
whaler, was to accompany the others to Valparaiso, there to 
remain and await further developments. The " Greenwich " 
was converted into a store-ship, and all the spare supplies and 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 231 

provisions were put on board of her. She now carried twenty 
guns, and with her and the " Georgiana " as tenders to the 
'"Essex," Commodore Porter proposed to continue his cruise 
ao;ainst the whalers that were still at larsre in the neiaiibor- 
hood of the Galapagos Islands. Here the "Essex Junior" was 
to rejoin him. 

This plan was exactly carried out. Early in July the two 
squadrons parted company. Lieutenant Downes proceeding to 
Valparaiso, and the commodore making his way once more to 
the Galapagos. The sailors were rejoiced to return to their ram- 
bles on shore and their dinners of turtle ; but they were still more 
pleased with the prospect of making new prizes in the neighbor- 
hood where they had already been so fortunate. They did not 
have long to wait. Hardly had they dropped anchor in the 
familiar roadstead, when three sail were reported in sight, and all 
were soon under way in pursuit. The " Essex " headed for the 
ship that seemed midway between the others, which last made 
off in opposite directions. The centre vessel ran off before the 
wind, and for a while the " Essex " had a hot chase ; but in the 
end she came up with the stranger, the English whaler " Charl- 
ton," of ten guns. The " Greenwich " made for the second 
vessel, which opened fire, but after receiving one or two well- 
directed broadsides she hauled down her flag. She was called 
the " Seringapatam," and was the finest ship of the Pacific 
whaling-fleet, having been built for a ship-of-war. She carried 
fourteen guns, and did not trouble herself much about catch- 
ing whales when it was so much more profitable to catch the 
American whalers, one of which she had already made a 
prize. The last of the three strangers, the " New Zealander " 



232 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of eight guns, was soon after overtaken and captured by the 
"Essex." 

The '" Charlton " was now sent to Rio with the prisoners, 
and the "Georgiana" was despatched with orders to proceed to 
the United States ; but she was captured by the enemy on the 
way home. If the United States had at this time had a j^ort on 
the Pacific, all the prizes might have been easily disposed of. 
As it was, they were compelled to run the gantlet of British 
squadrons in the Atlantic, where they were almost sure to be 
retaken. 

For two months the " Essex," now accompanied by the "Green- 
wich," the " Seringapatam," and the "■ New Zealander," cruised 
about among the islands. There was now only one British whaler 
left to capture, — the "' Sir Andrew Hammond." commanded 
by another Captain Porter. At last, one morning toward the 
latter part of July she was discovered some distance oif ; but the 
" Essex," unfortunately getting into a dangerous situation among 
the rocks and currents, was delayed in following her, and soon 
she was lost to view. The next day she was seen again and 
pursued, but when the frigate had come within four miles of her 
it fell calm. The boats of the " Hammond " were hoisted out, 
to tow her out of reach. The " Essex " then called away her 
boats, — not to tow, but to pull for the whaler and board her. 
The commodore was sure that if they could only reach the 
enemy they would succeed in taking her. But this time his 
hopes were vain. The boats had covered more than half the 
distance, and were nearing their object, when suddenly a breeze 
sprang up, filling the " Hammond's " sails, and she lost no time 
in making off. The " Essex " lay immovable, for she was still 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 233 

becalmed and did not get a breeze until after sunset. So the 
Englishman was again lost in the darkness, and next day no 
sign of him was to be seen. 

Six weeks were now spent at the Islands, during which the 
"Essex" was repainted, and her whole appearance so completely 
changed that her own officers could hardly recognize her. At 
the end of this time she started oft" alone, hoping to fall in with 
the " Hammond," which was almost sure to be somewhere in the 
neighborhood. The commodore's search was soon rewarded, for 
he had been out but a few days, when one morning at daylight he 
discovered her some distance to windward, to all appearance 
lying to, but really fastened to a whale, which she was in the 
act of taking. The disguise of the " Essex" now served her in 
good stead, for if she frightened away the enemy there would 
be little chance of making a capture. The commodore had 
learned from the *•' New Zealander " that a private signal had 
been agreed upon between her and the " Hammond ; " and he 
now came up in a lazy and careless fashion, under British colors, 
and showing the private signal. He proceeded on in this way 
for some hours, and had got within three or four miles, when sud- 
denly the "Hammond," suspecting a stratagem, took alarm, and 
casting oft" the whale, made sail to escape. But she had waited 
too long. In a few minutes the "Essex" was within gunshot, 
and after firing half a dozen rounds the Englishman struck his 
colors. 

The last of the British whalers in the Pacific had now been 
captured, and Commodore Porter could feel that his year's work 
had accomplished substantial results. The Americans were safe 
from attack, for there were none of the enemy left to attack 



234 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

them. The commodore could now carry out his plan of retiring 
for a while witli his fleet to some obscure harbor in the South 
Seas, where he could refit at leisure, and where his men could 
rest from the fatigues of their long voyage. Soon after the 
"Essex Junior " came in, with the news that she had taken the 
prizes safely to Valparaiso and laid them up, and that the cruise 
of the " Essex " had caused so great a commotion in England 
that three ships-of-war had been sent out specially to seize her. 
These had already arrived at Rio, and before many weeks would 
make their appearance in the Pacific. 

But the Pacific Ocean is broad, and the Southern Seas are 
dotted with innumerable islands, unfrequented at that time by 
civilized man, with deep and safe anchorages in their land-locked 
bays, where ships might remain for years lost to the world out- 
side. Among; all the Soutli Sea Islands none seemed to offer 
the needed advantages more than the beautiful Marquesas, a 
group inhabited only by native tribes who lived in primitive 
simplicity, uncorrupted by the influences of European civilization. 
Thither the commodore now shaped his course in the frigate, 
taking with him his tenders, the "Essex junior" and the "Green- 
wich," as well as his four latest prizes. 

It was about the middle of October when the squadron came 
to anchor off the island of Nookaheevah, in the Marquesas group, 
and here it remained for two months, during which the " Essex " 
was thoroughly repaired. The natives of this part of the island 
became very friendly, as soon as they had recovered from their 
first suspicions. They were like children, and showed great de- 
light at receiving the simple presents that were given them, — 
knives, or fish-hooks, or even pieces of iron hoops or glass 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 235 

bottles ; while a whale's tooth, which the islanders valued above 
all other possessions, would purchase almost anything they had. 
The king of the tribe, Gattanewa, an old man of seventy, tattooed 
from head to foot, came on board the " Essex " and vowed eter- 
nal friendship with the Americans, ratifying the bond by ex- 
changing names with the commodore, — " Tavee " or '' Opotee," 
as he was called, which was the nearest^ approach that the Nooka- 
heevans could make to David Porter. 

The island of Nookaheevah was eighteen miles long and 
crossed by ranges of mountains between which lay beautiful 
and fertile valleys filled with streams and waterfalls, and little 
villages, and forests of sandal-wood, and groves of cocoanut-palm 
and bread-fruit and banana. In that tropical climate, — for the 
place lies near the equator, — where Nature gives witli a liberal 
hand all that man can ask for, amid the luxuriance of forest 
growth, of tree and fruit and grass and flower, with its simple- 
minded and childlike people, the sailors of the '' Essex " were 
now to pass two months of rest and refreshment. It was like 
the fabled land of the Lotus-eaters, — a land 

" In which it. seemed always afternoon. 
All round the coast the languid air did swoon, 
Breathing like one that hath a weary dreara. 
Full-faced above the valley stood the moon ; 
And like a downward smoke, the slender stream 
Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem. 

" The charmed sunset lingered low adown 
In the red west : through mountain clefts the dale 
Was seen far inland, and the yellow down 
Bordered with palm, and many a winding vale 
And meadow." 



236 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

No sooner had the captam established friendly relations with 
the natives, than he saw how great the danger was that his men, 
intoxicated by the delights of this enchanted land, would forget 
their duties, and like Sir Aniyas Leigh's companions sink into 
the captivating indolence of the life around them. He wished 
that they should have relaxation, but he was not a man who 
would suffer discipline to grow slack. It was therefore not with- 
out satisfaction that he learned that his sailors mio^ht have some 
hard work ; for the Happahs — the native tribe dwelling in the 
next valley — were at war with his friends, and unless he took 
part in the conflict he would soon lose their respect and Avith it 
their friendship. So he joined forces with them and landed his 
men, and after mounting a six-pounder, which his allies trans- 
ported for him, on the intervening range of hills, he drove the 
Happahs from their fort and compelled them to ask for peace. 

In the valley beyond the Happahs dwelt the Typees, a war- 
like tribe whom all the other natives of the island held in great 
awe because of their martial prowess. Hearing of '' Opotee's " 
arrival, and of the subjugation of their neighbors the Happahs, 
the Typees now declared war against him, sending him defiant 
messages and declaring that he dared not tight them. This 
challenge the commodore suffered to pass unnoticed, as he did 
not wash to run any serious risks where no great object was to 
be gained. But he soon discovered that his inaction was having 
a hn.d effect upon the others, who liegan to think the Americans 
as much afraid of the Typees as they were themselves. So he 
resolved to attack the warlike tribe. 

After his experience with the Happahs the commodore some- 
what underrated his new enemies, and on his expedition against 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 237 

the Typees he took with hhn oilly Lieutenant Downes and about 
thirty men. The native allies appeared in great force, but they 
were not over-zealous when it came to lighting, their purpose 
being to witness the combat and take sides with the party that 
might win. The attacking force proceeded in boats and canoes 
to the landing at the end of the Typee valley. After he had 
disembarked and made a reconnoissance. Porter found that he 
w^ould have to march with his handful of men to the enemy's 
stronghold through an almost impenetrable jungle, which was 
filled with hundreds of hostile savages, armed with clubs and 
slings which they used with no little skill. But it was impossible 
to go back now ; and the Americans, advancing with great diffi- 
culty, fought their way slowly through the forest. Early in the 
day Lieutenant Downes was wounded, having his leg broken by a 
stone. Sometime after this mishap the Americans reached a river 
which they forded, the enemy retreating as the sailors charged gal- 
lantly up the opposite bank. Here their progress was checked by 
a strong fort, and they could not storm it, for the ammunition 
was nearly exhausted. The situation was very serious, or would 
have been so had the Typees shown more boldness. But they were 
afraid of the •' bouhis," as the muskets were called, and did not 
venture to attack ; so that the Americans were able by great 
care and coolness to extricate themselves from their dangerous 
position and retreat through the w^oods to the beach. 

It was now evident that the Typees must be subdued at any 
cost. A few days later Porter, taking with him two hundred 
men, marched over the mountains and attacked the natives in 
their forts. These were captured one by one, and the men then 
proceeded up the valley, burning the native villages. It seemed 



238 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

a pity to do this, but it was the only way in which the savages 
could be really reduced ; and from that time forward the Typees 
and the Americans were fast friends. 

At length the time came for the " Essex " to depart from the 
island. The sailors were not happy at the prospect of leaving 
so j^leasant a refuge, and there w^as some disposition to murmur, 
as might have been expected. But the captain sternly checked 
all insubordination, and on the 9tli of December the " Essex " 
and the " Essex Junior," repaired, and well supplied with provi- 
sions and stores, sailed away for Valparaiso. The '"' New Zea- 
lander " sailed soon after on her way to the United States, and 
the '' Greenwich," with the "Hammond" and " Seringapatam," 
was left in the harbor in charge of Lieutenant Gamble of the 
marines, who was ordered to start for home in five months 
unless the "Essex" returned before that time. The "Essex" 
did not return, however, and Lieutenant Gamble found his posi- 
tion full of difficulty. The few men who were left behind be- 
came demoralized, and in May a party of the sailors, among them 
several who had deserted from the prizes, mutinied, and seizing 
the " Seringapatam," made their escape from the island. The 
natives now became hostile, and Gamble, after losing some more 
men through treachery, set fire to the " Greenwich " and left the 
Marquesas in the " Hammond." He took with him all that 
remained of the force, — a midshipman, three marines, and three 
seamen. On her way to the Sandwich Islands the " Hammond " 
was captured by the enemy's sloop "Cherub;" and Gamble and 
his midshipman, with their feeble crew of half a dozen men, were 
made prisoners. 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 



239 



Meanwhile the "Essex," with her consort the "Essex Junior," 
made her way safely to Valparaiso, arriving there early in Feb- 
ruary. Four days later the English frigate " Phoebe " appeared off 
the harbor accompanied by the sloop-of-war " Cherub," which had 
been sent out to capture the " Essex." The two ships were 
much more than a match for Commodore Porter's force, for the 
"Essex Jimior" carried such light guns that she was of no use 
at all, and the "Phoebe " alone was about as large as the Amer-. 
ican frigate. Besides, the " Phoebe " was armed with long guns, 
while the " Essex" had 
mostly carronades ; so 
that if Captain Hillyar, 
the English comman- 
der, could choose his 
distance, he would have 
the " Essex " at his 
mercy ; for, as we must 
remember, the long 
guns carried much far- 
ther than the carronades, and if the ships were far apart would 
hit their mark at every shot, while all the projectiles from the 
small guns would fall short. 

The English ships lay in or about the harbor for several weeks, 
and during this time Commodore Porter made repeated efforts 
to draw the "Phoebe" into action alone. The sailors in the 
" Essex," when the enemy was near them in the harbor, would 
amuse themselves by singing songs about the victories over the 
English frigates, which were set to the tune of Yankee Doodle ; 
and the English crews retaliated in like manner by songs whose 




240 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

object was to banter the Americans. Commodore Porter and 
Captain Hillyar were old acquaintances, having been together in 
the Mediterranean, and they often met on shore and conversed 
about their situation as amicabh^ as if they were great friends 
instead of being mortal enemies. On one occasion Porter, speak- 
ing of his prizes which were laid up in the port, said. — 

" They are in my way, captain, and I mean to take them 
outside and burn them at the first opportunity." 

" I dare you to do it," rejoined Captain Hillyar, '* while I am 
in sight." 

'' We shall see," said Porter. 

So choosing a day when the '' Phoebe " and " Cherub " were at 
some distance outside the harbor, the " Essex " towed the " Hec- 
tor" out and set fire to her. The English ships tried their best to 
head the " Essex " off from the harbor, but without success, and 
by evening she was lying safe and sound at her old anchorage. 

Commodore Porter now decided on a judicious plan of action. 
He had found by trial that the "Essex" outsailed the "Phoebe." 
and he proposed to put to sea with both his ships, the two taking 
different directions ;• by which means either the enemy's ships 
would be separated, or if they both followed the "• Essex," the 
"Essex Junior" would escape. Besides, as the "Cherub" was 
a dull sailer, the " Phoebe " in attempting to overtake the 
" Essex " would he drawn away from her consort, and so might 
be engaged alone. At any rate, it was necessary to seize the 
first opportunity to escape, for other frigates of the enemy were 
shortly expected on the coast. 

An accident, and a most unlucky one for the " Essex," finally 
brought about the battle. On the 28th of March the wind was 



THE CRUISE OF THE "ESSEX." 243 

blowing fresh, and the " Essex " parted her cable, and dragging 
the other anchor drifted out. Sail was made, but at the moment 
when she was rounding the point a squall struck her and carried 
away her main-topmast. The " Phoebe " and " Cherub " were 
close upon her, and finding that she could not regain the harbor, 
she ran over to a bay on the western side, where she anchored 
half a mile from the shore. This was in neutral waters, just as 
much so as in the harbor, and as Captain Hillyar had given 
assurances that he would respect the Chilian neutrality, the 
American commander felt that he could repair his injuries in 
security. 

It is much to the discredit of Captain Hillyar that he did not 
keep his word. When he found the ''' Essex " thus placed at a 
disadvantage, he took a position under her stern, where no guns 
could be brought to bear on him, and opened an attack. The 
" Cherub " joined him, and the two ships together raked the 
" Essex " almost unopposed, inflicting heavy losses, until Porter 
managed to get three long guns out of his stern-ports. These 
he worked as well as he could for half an hour, after which the 
enemy's vessels hauled off to make repairs, although their dam- 
ages were in no degree serious. 

The " Essex " was now in a very bad way. Many of her 
men had been killed or wounded, and her rigging was so much 
cut that she could carry hardly any of her sails. The enemy 
had suffered no loss worth speaking of. Commodore Porter 
nevertheless determined to take the offensive. It was a desper- 
ate measure, but the only one that seemed to promise any hope. 
Setting his flying-jib — the only sail he could use — and cutting 
his cable, he stood down for the enemy. He could not manoeuvre 



244 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

much, but for a little while he was near enough to use his broad- 
side of carronades with some effect. But it was only for a little 
while. The English were fighting a safe battle, and meant to 
use the safest tactics, which of course it was perfectly right 
that they should do ; and in a little while both ships had with- 
drawn out of range of the carronades, and the " Phoebe's " long 
18-pounders were once more covering the decks of the ^ Essex" 
with the bodies of her unlucky men. 

Still the " Essex " would not give up. She had been on fire 
in several places, but the flames were extinguished. Her carro- 
nades were many of them disabled, — as always happened with 
carronades, — and as the guns' crews fell, others took the places of 
the killed. The cockpit was filled with wounded, so that there 
was no room for more. The slaughter on board was fearful, for 
in the smooth water every shot from the enemy told with deadly 
effect ; and at length the captain resolved to run the ship ashore, 
as the wind was blowing that way, and land the remainder of 
his men and then destroy the frigate. So he made for the land. 
But just as he had nearly reached the point where he must touch, 
the wind shifted and drove him out again. 

At this juncture the " Phoebe," being somewhat injured aloft, 
began to drift to leeward, and Porter, in the hope that she might 
drift out of range, bent a hawser to the sheet-anchor to hold on 
where he was. This would have enabled him to gain a little 
time ; but the hawser parted, and with it went the last chance 
for the '• Essex." The boats had been destroyed, but Porter told 
the men that such as wished might swim for the shore. Most 
of the crew preferred to remain by the ship, although they knew 
her hours were numbered. The flames were now coming up 



THE CRUISE OF THE " P:SSEX." 245 

from all the hatchways, the hull was riddled, the enemy was 
still keeping up a raking fire, and the men were falling at every 
shot. At last, finding all the chances against him, the commo- 
dore yielded to fate and gave the order to haul down the Hag. 
Never had the honor of that flag been more gallantly sustained. 

Out of two hundred and twenty-five men on board the "Essex," 
one hundred and fifty-five were killed, wounded, or missing. 
Captain Hillyar, upon receiving Porter's surrender, entered into 
an agreement by which the " Essex Junior " was to be converted 
into a cartel-ship, and so be exempt from capture. In her the 
captain and the remnant of his crew took passage for the 
United States, where they at length arrived after nearly two 
years of absence. Thus ended the eventful cruise of the 
" Essex." 




CHAPTER XIV. 

PERRY AND LAKP: ERIE. 

ETURNING now, we take up the story of a 
young officer who, although he had passed 
fifteen years hi the service, had never been 
so fortunate as to tal<ie part in any of 
its more striking operations, but who was 
now to leap at one bound to a height of 
glory and renown unsurpassed by any of 
his comrades in the navy. This was Oliver Hazard Perry. 
He had entered the service in 171)8, during the hostilities with 
France, when he joined his father's ship as a midshipman at 
the age of thirteen. He had served in the Tripolitan war 
in the squadron of Commodore Morris, and later with Commo- 
dore Rodgers ; but during Preble's command, when all the great 
achievements of the war had been performed, it was his ill luck 
to be at home, and he was thus almost the' only one of the 
victorious commanders of the War of 1812 that had not re- 
ceived his training in the squadron of the great commodore. 

Perry was now twenty-seven years old, and a master- 
commandant, — that is, he was higher than a lieutenant, but 
lower than a captain. When the war was expected, he went to 
Washing-ton and beo-o-ed that he misrht be ordered into active 



PERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 



247 



service against the enemy and given a post suitable to his rank. 
His request could not at once be granted, and meantime he 
was placed in command of a gunboat flotilla at Newport. For 
nine months he carried on his duties here with energy and zeal, 
but all the time 
chafing and fretting 
that he should be 
concerned with such 
trivialities while 
others were win- 
ning distinction in 
great enterprises 
and figliting bat- 
tles with the ene- 
my's ships-of-war. 

During this year 
the northern lakes, 
and especially Erie 
and Ontario, were 
the scene of great 
preparations for 
combat, as might 
be expected upon 
waters which 

washed the frontier of two hostile countries. Upon their shores 
on either side were opposing armies, and the movements of the 
troops depended upon which side gained control upon the lakes. 
During the winter of 1812-13 the work of building and equip- 
ping ships was going briskly forward on Lake Ontario, where 




OLIVER HAZARD I'ERRT. 



248 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Commodore Isaac Chaimcey was in command. But little had as 
yet been done upon Lake Erie, where the enemy had a consider- 
able force of vessels, which gave him almost undisputed mastery 
on the water. 

At this stage of affairs it occurred to Perry to write to 
Commodore Chauncey and offer him his services, at the same 
time renewing his entreaties to the Department by letters and 
through friends. The commodore was just now looking for an 
officer who could take charge of matters on the western lake, 
of which he still desired to retain command, and knowing Perry 
well, and knowing too his worth, he gladly consented to his 
coming for this service. Accordingly on the 18th of February, 
1813, Perry received his orders to proceed to Sackett's Harbor 
wdth the best men of his flotilla. So eager was he to be off, and 
so quick to carry out the order, that on that very day, before 
nightfall, he had started his first detachment of fifty seamen 
under one of his lieutenants. Five days later one hundred 
more had been despatched, and Perry had set out for his new 
command. 

It was a severe journey at that inclement season, bitterly 
cold, and the wa}^ from Albany over the frozen roads led 
through a thinly settled country still covered by its virgin for- 
ests. Perry had with him his little brother Alexander, — a boy 
twelve years old, whom he was taking to be a midshipman 
on board his ship. After eleven days of trav^elling the two 
brothers reached their destination, and reported on board the 
flagship '' Madison," wdiich was l3'ing at Sackett's Harbor. Here 
they were delayed a week ; but at last they set out for Lake Erie, 
where they arrived about the middle of March. 



PERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 249 

For the next six inontlis Perry was busily occupied in pre- 
paring his squadron, — indeed, one might say in building it, 
for the principal vessels were only just begun. These were 
two good-sized brigs, each designed to carry twenty guns, but 
at this time their keels only had been laid. The station of the 
proposed squadron was at the town of Erie, where there were 
also building three schooners, now about half finished. So far 
the work had gone on but slowly ; but the young commander 
by his zeal infused new zeal into those around hiui, and by his 
energy and wisdom overcame all obstacles and difficulties. 

It was a strange and difficult position in which Perry now 
found himself. The enemy with his squadron of five vessels 
controlled the lake. The building-yard at Erie was without 
protection. There were no guns, not even muskets or car- 
tridges, and if there had been, there were no men to use them. 
Of the ship-carpenters who were sent on with their tools from 
Philadelphia only a few had come. All the supplies, — guns, 
sail-cloth, cordage, ammunition, — everything, in short, but tim- 
ber, was to be brought a distance of live hundred miles over 
bad roads, through a country that was almost a wilderness. 
Finally, the little brig '' Caledonia " and the four gunboats which 
together made up the whole of the squadron afloat were at 
Black Rock in the Niagara River, and were unable to make their 
way past the enemy's river batteries into the lake. 

Perry began his work at once. He sent to Buffalo for 
seamen, and at his request some companies of militia were 
posted at Erie. He went himself to Pittsburg, where he pro- 
cured small cannon and muskets to assist in the defence. Iron 
was bought at Buffalo, and when this supply was exhausted, 



250 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

every scrap that could be got in the neighborhood was worked 
up for use in the construction of the fleet. Blacksmiths were 
found among the militia. To obtain the timber for the vessels, 
trees were felled and sawn up, and all was so quickly done that 
it often happened that wood which at daybreak had been grow- 
ing in the forest was before nightfall nailed in place upon the 
ship. With such extraordinary despatch did the young commo- 
dore push forward his work, that by the third week in May all 
the vessels had been launched from the ways and were afloat in 
the harbor of Erie. 

About this time Perry learned that Commodore Chauncey 
was preparing to attack Fort George, and he resolved to join 
him, for he knew that his services would be needed. The mes- 
sage was brought to him one day at sunset, and though the 
night "was stormy, in an hour he had started in his four-oared 
boat for the Niagara River. It took him twenty-four hours 
to reach Buffalo, where he rested ; then starting again he 
entered the river, and landing just before he reached the 
rapids, he resumed his journey alone and on foot, the rain 
pouring in torrents, directing his course to the camp at the 
mouth of the river, off which the squadron lay. Here he found 
the officers assembled, and as he walked into the cabin of the 
flagship, wet, bedraggled, and spattered from head to foot with 
mud, the commodore grasped him by the hand and told him 
that "no person on earth could be more welcome." And it Avas 
fortunate that he came, for the fleet was sadly in want of just 
such a man as he ; and the attack on the next da}', in which 
he served in some sort as the commodore's chief of staff, was 
successful largely through his coolness and skill, his ready and 



TERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 251 

unerring eye, and his untiring energy. For on this day he was 
everywhere, — pulling in his boat under a sliower of musketry 
from one vessel to another, encouraging the men here, re-forming 
the line and altering a boat's position there, sometimes even 
going on board and pointing the guns himself so that their fire 
might tell with more effect, and finally landing to join in the 
assault on shore, which ended in the capture of the fort. 

After the fall of Fort George, the English abandoned the 
whole Niagara frontier, and there was therefore at last some 
slight chance that the vessels at Black Rock might be enabled 
to make their way into Lake Erie. Leaving the Ontario fleet, 
Perry repaired to Black Rock, and with the help of oxen and 
two hundred soldiers the five boats were tracked up against the 
rapid current of the Niagara. A fortnight was consumed before 
they reached the head of the river, after laborious exertions, and 
^' a fatigue," said Perry, ''almost incredible." At last they were 
out upon Lake Erie, but before them there was still the difficult 
task of eluding the British squadron, whose flagship, the " Queen 
Charlotte," was alone a match for all of them, and which had 
besides four smaller vessels. The enemy was in the neighbor- 
hood, and the winds were contrary ; but Perry with great skill 
managed to pass them unopposed, and at last brought his vessels 
into the harbor of Erie, thus joining in one squadron all his 
forces. 

It was now the end of June, and for a month Perry was en- 
gaged in fitting out the vessels that had been launched in May, 
and in preparing their crews. One of the brigs was named the 
" Lawrence," in honor of the captain of the " Chesapeake," who 
had just before died of his wounds in the action with the 



252 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

*• Shannon ; " the other was called the " Niagara." The seamen, 
who were mostly drawn from the Lake Ontario squadron, came 
in slowly. As soon as one detachment arrived, the men were 
placed on board and stationed, and every day when it was possi- 
ble to do it they were exercised at the guns. But the hardest 
task was yet to come. Upon the bar at the mouth of the harbor 
the water was only six feet deep, and outside lay the British 
squadron on the watch. To get the two brigs over the bar under 
the enemy's fire seemed hopeless, and Commodore Barclay, the 
British commander, well knew his advantage. But one day early 
in August, either because he thought the ships were not ready, 
or because he fancied that he could overcome the Americans in 
any case, he left his post of observation and took his squadron 
over to the Canadian shore. 

The American commodore, as he was now called, saw his 
opportunity and made the most of it. Five of the small vessels 
were sent across the bar, w^here they were cleared for action. 
The '' Niagara," anchoring close inside, pointed her guns down 
the channel ; and the " Lawrence " was towed down to be taken 
across. Every means was used to lighten her ; her guns were 
hoisted out, and when all was ready, two great scows were fitted 
alongside, and filled with water so that they sunk to the edge. 
Huge cross-timbers were then run through the ports of the brig, 
their ends resting upon blocks of wood placed in the sunken 
scows. The scows were now pumped out, and as they came up 
they lifted the brig with them. It was anxious work, for the 
enemy might return at any moment, and finding the '' Lawrence" 
defenceless and immovable, might riddle her until she could not 
float. The first trial failed, for there was little water on the bar 



PERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 253 

and the brig could not be lifted high enough to get her over. But 
the men worked with might and main, the militia helping the 
blue-jackets ; and the scows were readjusted, so that at last the 
ship had forced her way over the sands and passed into the deep 
water beyond. Here she was joined by the " Niagara." 

The fleet of Commodore Barclay now came in sight, and al- 
though it was a little late, a smart attack might yet have saved 
it the supremacy which it had held thus far. The guns were 
still to be put on board the " Lawrence ; " and to gain time Perry 
ordered two schooners, the " Ariel " and " Scorpion," to stand 
out toward Barclay's vessels and annoy them with their guns. 
The schooners advanced so boldly that the enemy were fully 
occupied. In a short time the "' Lawrence " had received her 
battery and placed it in position, and she was ready for action. 
The enemy's opportunity was lost, and Barclay sailed away to 
the northern shore. From this moment Perry had the advantage 
on Lake Erie. 

^ The American fleet was now only waiting to complete its 
crews before seeking its adversary. Soon a final detachment of 
one hundred men came from Lake Ontario, brought by Lieuten- 
ant Elliott, who was placed in command of the "Niagara." The 
" Lawrence " was selected by Commodore Perry as his flagship. 
He had now through his energetic efforts a force superior to the 
enemy both in guns and men, and the next few days were spent 
in training the mixed crews, and in reconnoitring and manoeu- 
vering on the lake. 

At sunrise on the morning of the 10th of September, as the 
American ships were lying at anchor at Put-in Bay, the British 
squadron was sighted from the mast-head of the " Lawrence," 



254 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

standing in for the bay. Lieutenant Forrest, the officer of the 
deck, reported the news to Commodore Perry, and immediately 
the signal was hoisted on the flagship, '' Under way to get ! " 
For a few moments all was hurry and bustle, and in a little 
while the American squadron was under sail, beating out of the 
harbor. 

The breeze was light, and as the enemy had the weather-gage, 
several hours were now passed in nianoeuvering. But in the 
course of the forenoon the wind shifted, bringing the English 
fleet to leeward, upon which Perry determined to advance with- 
out further preliminaries. The enemy were now in line of 
battle, hove to, the schooner '•• Chippeway " leading. Next came 
the " Detroit," Commodore Barclay's flagship, with the brig 
"Hunter" astern. Next to the "Hunter" lay the "Queen 
Charlotte," the second of the enemy's large ships ; and the 
schooners •' Lady Prevost " and '* Little Belt " brought up the 
rear. 

The American squadron was so arranged as to bring its largest 
vessels opposite to the largest of the enemy. The commodore 
led in his flagship the " Lawrence," supported by the '^ Ariel " 
and " Scorpion " upon his weather-bow. He chose Barclay's 
flagship as his own antagonist. Following him was the brig 
"Caledonia," which was to engage the "Hunter." Next came 
the " Niagara," Elliott's vessel, to oppose the "Queen Charlotte ; " 
and the line was completed by the schooners " Somers," " Porcu- 
pine," and " Tigress," and the sloop " Trippe," which would take 
care of the enemy's rear. 

The English lay in compact order, broadside on, their red 
ensigns opening to the light breeze. No picture could be drawn 



PERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 



255 



more peaceful or more beautiful than that upon which the sun 
shone on this September morning as it lit up with sparkling 
brilliancy the rippling waters of the lake. The long column of 
the Americans came slowly down with all sails set, led by the 
^' Lawrence," at whose mast-head was unfolded the lettered flag 




-■€^^ 



" A SlXGLK GUN BOOMED FROM BARCLAYS SHIP. 



bearing the words, " Don't give up the ship," — the last order of 
the ill-fated commander of the " Chesapeake." It was Perry's 
battle-flag ; and as it was displayed and the words were read by 
the different crews, cheer upon cheer rang out, caught up from 
ship to ship down the long line of the advancing column. The 



256 THE BOYS OF 181-2. 

last preparations had now been made ; the shot were in the 
racks, the pistols and cutlasses arranged at hand, and the decks 
sanded to give a foothold, when in a few moments they would 
become slippery with blood. All was in readiness, and the men 
only waited to join battle. 

For more than an hour the squadron advanced slowly and 
in silence under the light wind. At length the notes of a bugle 
sounding on the '' Detroit" broke the still air, followed by cheers 
from the enemy's ships, and soon a single gun boomed from 
Barclay's ship as the signal for opening battle. His second shot 
passed through both bulwarks of the " Lawrence," and Perry 
made reply. But his battery of carronades was useless at this 
distance, and for fifteen minutes more he continued to advance, 
receiving a terrific fire without being able to answer it. 'At 
length, arriving within three hundred and fifty yards, he hauled 
up and began the action. 

The other American vessels, delayed by the lightness of the 
wind, had been slow in getting into position for battle. The 
"Ariel" ahd "Scorpion" supported the " Lawrence " efficiently. 
The "Caledonia" too, the next astern, closed with the "Hunter." 
But the " Niagara," upon which Perry mainly relied as one of 
his largest vessels, engaging only at long range, failed to close, 
and finally, moving ahead, passed to windward of the " Caledo- 
nia " and " Lawrence," thus placing them between herself and 
the enemy and throwing herself out of the battle. It was rep- 
resented afterward that this was due to the lightness of the wind ; 
but however this may be, — and there is no event in naval his- 
tory which has been the subject of more wrangling and disputa- 
tion, — certain it is that never was a ship made to do so little 



PERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 257 

to help her consorts as the '' Niagara " during the time when Elli- 
ott was directing her movements. The " Queen Charlotte," find- 
ing that her opponent had thus placed himself out of harm's way, 
filled her main-topsail and passed ahead of the " Hunter," there- 
by doubling the odds against the already injured '' Lawrence." 

For two long; hours the '' Lawrence " now sustains an un- 
equal contest, receiving the concentrated fire of nearly the 
whole of the enemy's squadron. The rigging is cut, the sails 
are torn to shreds, one by one the spars are shattered or fall 
upon the deck. Gun after gun is dismounted, and fearful is the 
slaughter of officers and men. The wounded are taken below 
so fast that the surgeon can barely serve them, hurriedly am- 
putating a leg or an arm, one after another, and binding up 
as best he may the bleeding wounds. Cannon-shot enter the 
quarters for the wounded, striking men whose limbs have just 
been taken oft' by the surgeon's knife. The first lieutenant, 
Yarnall, wounded in the forehead and the neck, his face stream- 
ing with blood, continues to fight his guns until his men are 
killed, and sending to the commodore for more, is answered that 
there are no more to give him. The second lieutenant, Dulany 
Forrest, standing beside Perry, receives a spent grape-shot in the 
breast which throws him to the deck. A gun captain whom 
Perry has addressed to give a word of caution is just about 
to fire, when a cannon-ball passes through his body and he falls 
without a groan at the commodore's feet. Brooks the marine offi- 
cer, a dashing young lieutenant, is making a smiling response to 
Perry's cheerful words, when a heavy shot crushes his thigh and 
throws him across the deck. In an agony of pain he implores 
the commodore to shoot him dead and put him out of misery. 



258 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

All the guns but one are now dismounted, but this one still 
keeps up its fire ; for the commodore, with the brave purser 
Hambleton, and Chaplain Breese, aided by two or three men, 
are working it themselves. At last the purser falls, his shoulder 
shattered by a grape-shot. Presently this gun, too, — the last 
one, — is disabled, and the "Lawrence" cannot fire a shot. 
There are less than a score of sound men left on board. 

At this terrible moment, when, though untouched himself, 
nearly all his companions had fallen, when his ship was beaten, 
and himself exhausted with the stress of two hours of battle, 
there came to Perry one of those resolutions which can only be 
called inspiration. He saw that if the flagship surrendered, the 
whole fleet Avould follow. He saw that the two leading ships 
of the enemv had suffered much in his attack, thoug^h their 
force was not so nearly spent as his own. He saw too that the 
" Niagara " and the schooners in the rear were almost fresh, 
if they could only be brought into action. Upon this he formed 
his resolution. Calling away his boat, and taking with him his 
little brother, who like himself had passed through the fearful 
ordeal unscathed, except for the bullets in his cap, he rowed 
under the enemy's fire to the " Niagara." It was a daring act, 
for the enemy's shot broke the oars, and the spray was dashed 
in the faces of the rowers. But it was more wonderful in the 
coolness and bravery which enabled the young commander at 
such a time and after such a trial to carry out with promptness 
and judgment the only plan to retrieve disaster. 

Arriving on board the " Niagara " Perry at once assumed 
command, hoisting his flag, and a moment later he sent Lieu- 
tenant Elliott, who volunteered for the duty, to bring up the 



PERRY AND LAKE ERIE. 261 

tardy schooners. Then, setting the signal for close action, he 
formed his ships in line abreast and dashed at the enemy. The 
" Lawrence " had now struck, but the enemy had no chance 
to take possession. The onset of the fresh fleet was irresistible. 
The " Detroit " and the " Queen Charlotte," seeing the blow 
coming, attempted to wear, so that fresh broadsides might be 
brought to bear. In doing this they fell foul, and as they lay 
entangled, the breeze freshening, the '' Niagara " plunged through 
their line, firing Ijoth broadsides as she passed through the 
narrow gap. At the same moment the " Caledonia " with the 
"Scorpion" and ''Trippe" broke through the line at other 
points, and turning with the '' Niagara " brought the enemy 
between two deadly fires. The shrieks of the wounded min- 
gled with tlie roar of the American cannon ; the British commo- 
dore could not resist this new attack, and in seven minutes from 
the "Niagara's" passage of the line, four of the enemy had 
surrendered in their places in the column. The two remain- 
ing vessels sought to escape under cover of the smoke, but 
they were pursued and brought back by the "Trippe" and 
" Scorpion." 

As soon as the prisoners had been secured, the prizes manned, 
and orders given for the necessary repairs, Perry sat down iii 
his cabin and wrote to General Harrison, commanding the Army 
of the West, who had been waiting anxiously for the issue of the 
battle. Here is his letter : — 

Dear (tENEral, — We have met the enemy and they are ours, — 
two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop. 

Yours with very great respect and esteem, 

0. H. Perry. 



262 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Well might the general be elated when he got tlie news. 
The victory had saved the whole Northwest, which until then 
had been desolated by the most savage and barbarous of ene- 
mies. No time was lost in following it up, and in carrying the 
Avar into the enemy's country. The army was quickly embarked 
on board the ships and landed in Canada. 

After marching inland it attacked the enemy, and in the 
great victory of Moravian Town the English troops were anni- 
hilated, and Tecumseh, the relentless enemy of the United 
States, was killed. From that time forth until the close of the 
war the British were compelled to abandon all operations on 
Lake Erie. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE SLOOP ACTIONS. 

far most of the engagements which had taken 
place on the ocean were fought by frigates. 
Only two of them, — the first between the 
'"Wasp" and ''Frolic," and the second be- 
tween the '' Hornet " and " Peacock " — were 
sloop actions. But the sloops formed at this 
time a very important part of our navy, and 
no less than six sloop actions were fought later 
in the war, all but one of them resulting in victory 
for the Americans. The sloops-of-war of this period 
were generally small three-masted vessels, though in the 
brig-sloops, like the " Argus " and " Pelican," there were but two 
masts. They were armed with carronades, of which the Amer- 
ican sloops carried either eighteen or twenty, and the British 
sixteen ; and each of them carried also two long guns. The 
batteries varied slightly in the different vessels ; but whatever 
the variations, it seemed that we had always a little the advan- 
tage in armament. 

Two of the sloop actions took place in the summer of 1813, 
— the same summer which opened so badly with the loss of the 
"Chesapeake." The first was that of the ''Argus" and the 




264 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

"Pelican," and like the frigate action it proved a disastrous bat- 
tle for the Americans. The -' Argus " had sailed from New York 
in May, having on board as passenger Crawford, the Minister 
to France, who was on his way to his new post. She was under 
the command of Lieut. William Henry Allen. This was the 
same Lieutenant Allen who, it will be remembered, fired the 
gun with a live coal in his fingers on board the " Chesapeake " 
when she was assailed by the "• Leopard "in 1807. He was the 
same, too, who had been for five years Decatur's first lieutenant 
in the United States, ending his cruise with the capture of the 
'' Macedonian." 

After landing his passenger at Lorient, Captain Allen was 
ordered to make a cruise in English waters. It was almost 
impossible for him to send to America any prizes he might 
make, even if he could weaken his ship to man them ; and his 
instructions, therefore, were to sink, burn, and destroy all he 
captured. It was a daring enterprise, like the cruises of Paul 
Joiies and Wickes and Conyngham in the older wT^r, though 
with the increased numbers of the enemy's navy it was presuma- 
bly attended with greater danger. But strangely enough, with 
the lesson of the earlier war before them, so little had the 
British provided for the defence of their own seas against com- 
merce-destroyers, that the " Argus ' was able to cruise for two 
months, often within four leao;ues of their coast, without beina; 
disturbed in her operations. During this time she captured 
twenty-three prizes, most of which were burned. The value of 
the ships and cargoes destroyed amounted to near two millions 
of dollars ; and as happened in the Revolution, the rate of marine 
insurance in England was raised far in advance of its usual 




" THE ' PELICAN ' WAS GUIDED TO HER BY THE SMOKE OF THE BUKNIKG 

MERCHANTMEN." 



THE SLOOP ACTIONS. 267 

figure. The naval administration, which at this period of defeat 
was roundly abused by English writers, must have been more 
than usuall}^ sluggish, to have allowed a 20-gun brig to continue 
for two months such depredations. 

At length the British sloop '^ Pelican," which had just come 
in from the West Indies, was sent out from Cork expressly to 
fight the "' Argus." She was a little superior in force, but the 
difference, as in most of these actions, was not great enough 
to be of any consequence. The '"Argus" was now destroying 
prizes right and left, and the " Pelican " was guided to her by 
the smoke of the burning merchantmen. When the English 
sloop first sighted her in the evening, she was busy with a prize ; 
and though the '"Pelican" lost her in the night, another fire 
disclosed her position in the morning. 

As the "' Pelican " bore down to engage. Captain Allen 
shortened sail to give the' enemy a chance to close. At six 
o'clock in the morning the '' Pelican" had come within grape-shot 
distance, and Allen fired his first broadside. It was his last too, 
poor fellow ! for the enemy returning the fire with spirit, a round 
shot carried off his leg; and though he would not leave the deck, 
he was soon unconscious from loss of blood, and his career was 
ended. The rigging of the " Argus " was at the same time 
badly cut ; but when the enemy tried to get under her stern and 
rake her. Lieutenant Watson, who was now in command, clev- 
erly threw all aback and thwarted the attempt. But alas ! the 
gun's-crews on this day were not up to their work ; for whether, 
as some have said, the hard work of the night before had worn 
them out, or whether they had got hold of the spirit-cask 
in their last prize, certain it is that their firing was weak 



268 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

and wild, and far below the example which had been set by 
American blue-jackets in other battles. The enemy remained 
almost unhurt, and by no means got as good as they sent. 
Lieutenant Watson was disabled by a grape-shot in the head ; 
two round shot passed through the warrant-officers' cabins ; the 
running rigging and wheel-ropes were shot away, so that the 
brig became unmanageable ; and finally, three quarters of an 
hour after the action had begun, as the enemy was about to 
board, the " Argus " struck her colors. 



The next engagement was happily more 'creditable to the 
Americans. Early in September the '' Enterprise," commanded 
by Lieut. William Burrows, a brave and skilful officer who 
was much respected and beloved in the service, put out from 
Portland, and the day after, being the oth of the month, fell 
in with the enemy's brig "Boxer," Captain Blytli. The two 
sl^ips were about a match in guns, but the American, as usual, 
had a larger crew. As Burrows approached he manoeuvred 
to tiy his powers of sailing ; and finding that his ship had greater 
speed, he bore up for close action, setting three ensigns and firing 
a gun of defiance. 

Blyth had nailed his flag to the mast, telling his men that 
it should never be struck while he had life in his body. And he 
kept his word. As the " Enterprise " ranged up, her crew gave , 
three cheers, and opened on the enemy at half-pistol shot. At 



THE SLOOP ACTIONS. 269 

the first fire a round shot passed through the body of the gallant 
English captain. The ^' Boxer " returned the fire. A moment 
later Captain Burrows, encouraging his men, seized a tackle 
to help the crew in running out their carronade ; and as his leg 
was raised to brace it against the bulwark, a canister-shot struck 
it, and glancing upwards to his body, gave him a frightful 
wound. In an agony of pain he lay on the deck, crying out 
that the colors must never be struck, and refusing to be taken 
below. 

Tl\e two ships were now fought by their lieutenants. McCall, 
the lieutenant of the " Enterprise," finding that he ranged 
ahead, sheered across the " Boxer's " bow, pouring in a raking 
broadside. Presently the " Boxer " lost her main-topmast, and 
McCall, hanging on her bow, kept up his raking fire. There 
could now be but one result, and soon the "Boxer" hailed to say 
that she had surrendered. The flag which had been nailed 
to the mast was now lowered, but Blyth had already breathed 
his last. Burrows kept his place on the deck until he had re- 
ceived the sword of his adversary. Then he exclaimed, " I 
am satisfied; I die contented," and with that word breathed 
his last. 



^^^/(S'^^Kp^ 



The next of the sloop actions was in the spring of the follow- 
ing year. The " Peacock," one of the new sloops, named after 
the British vessel which the "Hornet" had sunk in the Dem- 
erara River, was cruising in April under the command of 



270 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



Capt. Lewis Warrington, when she met the enemy's brig-sloop 
" Epervier " off the coast of Florida. Though the "Peacock" 
had the larger crew, the ships* were not far from a match in 
guns. But the '• Epervier's " battery was not in fighting condi- 
tion, and she had practised so little with her carronades that her 

officers did not 



know of their de- 
fects ; or if they 
did, they had not 
done anything to 
remedy the difficul- 
ty. Indeed, the 
whole service of 
the " Epervier, " 
both at the guns 
and in other ways, 
was most slovenly, 
and far behind 
what one would 
expect in a British 
sloop-of-war. The 
vessels as they 
neared opened on 
each other, but at 
the first broadsides the '' Epervier's " carronades were dis- 
mounted, the bolts giving way. For three quarters of an 
hour the fight continued, the guns of the brig getting worse 
and worse, until she could hardly fire a shot. At length the 
English captain gave the order to board, but his men showed 




CAPTAIN LEWIS WAKRINC TON. 



THE SLOOr ACTIONS. 271 

no zeal or courage, and even refused to follow him ; so he gave 
up and struck his colors. 

There was hardly any other action in the war in which the 
enemy did so poorly as in this. The '^ Epervier " had twenty- 
two men killed or wounded in the battle ; the "• Peacock " had 
none killed and only two wounded. The enemy was almost a 
wreck. Her hull was riddled, her main-topmast and boom were 
shot away, her foremast was nearly cut in two, her sails tattered, 
her bowsprit badly wounded, her battery disabled, and there 
were four feet of water in her hold; while the '" Peacock," 
except for the loss of the foreyard, was as fresh as ever, and 
not a shot had struck her hull. It was a profitable hour's work 
for her crew ; for a large amount of specie was found on board 
the enemy, and the Government bought the captured sloop for 
more than fifty thousand dollars. The two vessels made for 
Savannah, where, though several times chased by the enemy, 
they arrived safely a few days after the battle. 



'^AB^M/B^go 



On the day that the '• Epervier " entered the Savannah 
River, the new sloop-of-war "Wasp" — named for that other 
"Wasp" which had captured the "Frolic" — sailed from Ports- 
mouth on a cruise. She was commanded by Capt. Johnston 
Blakely, a most resolute officer, and had as fine a crew of 
stanch New Englanders as ever trod the deck of a Salem 
clipper. Running the blockade off the coast, the " Wasp " stood 



272 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

over toward the English channel, and soon she was burning and 
sinking merchantmen as actively as the "• Argus " had done 
before her. But when it came her turn to meet the enemy in 
battle, her crew showed themselves to be made of different stuff 
from the sailors of that unlucky brig. 

The " Wasp " had been nearly two months out, when she 
fell in with one of the enemy's sloops. This was the " Reindeer," 
commanded by Capt. William Manners, a young officer whose 
gallantry was unsurpassed by that of any of his comrades in the 
English service. His ship was less in force than the " Wasp," 
for she carried twenty-four-pound carronades instead of thirty- 
twos ; but nevertheless he no sooner sighted the American than 
he made sail to attack her. Blakely too was ready for the 
combat, and shaped his course to meet the enemy. 

So the vessels approached under a light breeze during the 
whole forenoon, and it was not till after one o'clock that they 
beat to quarters and cleared ship for action. For two hours 
both were now manoeuvring for an advantage as deftly as two 
skilful fencers, but the two captains were equally good at this, 
and neither could score a point against his adversary. At 
length, soon after three o'clock, the " Reindeer," being then at 
a distance of sixty yards on the '' Wasp's " weather-quarter, 
opened on her with careful aim from the shifting carronade on 
her top-gallant forecastle, to which the '' Wasp " could not reply. 
Five times this was repeated, at intervals sometimes of two, 
sometimes of three minutes, the fire of round and grape shot 
making destructive work on board the unresisting American. 

The " Wasp's " crew were well trained, and nothing showed 
it more than the quiet steadiness and nerve with which they 



THE SLOOP ACTIONS. 273 

bore this trial. But Captain Blakely, finding that the enemy did 
not advance beyond his quarter, luffed, and so brought his 
broadside to bear. Then began a furious and deadly conflict, 
for the ships were close abreast, and in the smooth water there 
was no motion to disturb the pointing of the guns. But it was 
on board the '' Reindeer " that the carnage was most dreadful. 
In fifteen minutes her upper works became a wreck, and more 
than half her crew were killed or wounded. The topmen of the 
" Wasp " picked them off' with their muskets one by one. The 
gallant Manners was badly wounded early in the action, but 
remained on deck. A grape-shot passed through both his 
thighs. He fell, but raised himself ; and staggering to his feet, 
the blood streaming from his wounds, he fought on, encouraging 
his men. At last the two ships fouled, and Manners, true hero 
that he was, climbed up by the rigging, calling out, " Follow 
me, my boys, we must board ! " But at that instant two bullets 
pierced his head, and he fell lifeless to the deck. A moment 
later the crew of the '' Wasp " had rushed on board his ship, and 
she surrendered. 

After this battle, so glorious for both sides, Blakely put into 
Lorient. His prize was so disabled that he burned her the day 
after the fight, and the wounded prisoners were sent to England 
in a Portuguese brig. ■ Refitting at the French port, Blakely set 
sail again toward the end of August. On the 1st of September 
he was on the edge of the Bay of Biscay. He had already made 
two prizes since leaving port, and on this day he was hanging 
about a fleet of English merchantmen bound for Gibraltar, 
under convoy of the line-of-battle ship " Armada." The clumsy 
seventy-four twice tried to catch him, but the sloop was too 



274 tup: boys of 1812. 

nimble for her, and ended by cutting out one of the convoy 
under her very eyes. 

Blakely was now on the spot most frequented by British 
cruisers ; for all that went to and fro between England and the 
Mediterranean must pass that way, and it behooved him to be 
upon his guard. At dusk that same evening he discovered four 
sail whose character he could not make out. But he stood 
boldly down for one of them, and after a two hours' pursuit, in 
which the chase had made repeated night-signals that he could 
not answer, he discovered that she was a large man-of-war brig. 
An hour later, and the ships were near enough to hail. 

" What ship is that ? " asked the stranger through the 
darkness. 

" What brio^ is that? " asked Blakelv in return. 

" What ship is that ? " 

"■ Heave to, and I '11 let you know what ship it is." 

But the stranger did not heave to. and presently the " Wasp " 
opened on her. 

Soon she got alongside, and botli ships began to fire in dead 
earnest. Dark as it was, the '" Wasp " made splendid practice 
with her guns, yet was herself but little hurt. The enemy's 
gaff and rigging were cut and broken, the round shot penetrated 
her hull, and half an hour after the first gun, her mainmast 
went by the board. Captain Blakely now hailed to know if she 
would yield, for her fire had ceased. Soon it began again, and 
to Blakely's second demand the answer came that the brig 
surrendered. 

A boat was now lowered, but at the same moment a second 
brig appeared, just visible a short distance off in the darkness. 



THE SLOOP ACTIONS. 275 

The boat was hoisted in, the men were called again to quarters, 
and as Blakely made off before the wind to reeve new braces, 
the new-comer followed him, firing, but without effect. Two 
more sail were now discovered, and it seemed that the American 
might have hard work to escape. 

Meantime guns of distress were firing from the ''' Avon," 
Blakely's first opponent, and the second brig hauled off hastily 
to go to her assistance. But she was none too soon, for the 
''Avon "sank before all her people could get on board the 
rescuer. The two other ships — one of which, the " Castilian," 
had joined in the battle, and the other, the " Tartarus," had 
only just come upon the scene — did not attempt pursuit, while 
Blakely, seeing that it was idle to remain in a neighborhood 
surrounded thus by enemies, quickly made sail to leave it, and 
proceeded on his cruise. 

Three weeks later the "'Wasp" captured the merchant brig 
"Atalanta," and by her sent home despatches. This was the 
last that was ever seen or heard of the gallant sloop. Whether 
she foundered in a gale, or caught fire, or ran upon a rock, no 
one can say ; and to this time the fate of her brave Yankee crew 
is one of the buried secrets of the deep. 



^^QJ(B^J^>9^ 



The last of the sloop actions of the war was between the 
" Hornet " and the " Penguin." The " Hornet." the same vessel 
which Lawrence had commanded two years before, left New 



276 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

York near the end of January, 1815, and proceeded to the 
remote island of Tristan d'Acunha, where she had a rendezvous 
with the " Peacock." She was commanded by Lieutenant 
James Biddle. The voyage out lasted two months. On the day 
that she reached the island, the 23d of March, she met the 
" Penguin," a British sloop of force almost exactly equal. The 
" Penguin " was to windward and bore down upon her, while 
Biddle hove his ship to and awaited her coming. As she came 
up alongside, the fight began broadside to broadside. It did not 
take long to show which was the better crew. The " Hornet's " 
fire was steady and precise, the "Penguin's" wild and ineffec- 
tive. At the end of fifteen minutes the English sloop had lost 
her captain and many of her men in killed or wounded, and her 
sides had been battered by the American fire. One round shot 
entered her aftermost port, and in its passage killed the powder- 
boy, took off six legs of seamen at the gun, dismounted a car- 
ronade, and fell into the water beyond. Just before the captain 
had received his mortal wound he had put his helm over to 
throw the ships afoul, so that his men might board the " Hor- 
net." But when the first lieutenant would have led them over, 
they fell back. The American crew were eager to board the 
other ship, but Biddle wisely restrained them ; for he knew that 
the loss of life might be great, and that the victory was his 
without it. A moment later the enemy cried out that they sur- 
rendered, — or at least so Biddle understood, and leaping on the 
taffrail, he gave the order to cease firing. But it seems that 
there was some mistake, for an English marine now took aim at 
him and shot him in the neck, fortunately wounding him but 
slightly. The crew were indignant at what seemed like treachery ; 



THE SLOOP ACTIONS. 279 

but the captain checked their ardor, and wearing so that he 
might bring a fresh broadside to bear, he again called upon the 
enem}^ to surrender. Her foremast and bowsprit had now gone, 
and her mainmast was ready to go, so the colors were hauled 
down, just twenty-two minutes after the action had begun. The 
" Penguin's " loss in killed and wounded was forty-two, and she 
was such a wreck that Biddle had to destroy her, while the 
" Hornet's " loss was only eleven, and she was ready for action 
again a few minutes after the fight was over. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

MACDONOUGH AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 

NCE more our story goes back to the northern 
waters, this time to Lake Champlain. Little 
had been done here by either side during the 
first two years of the war. There was hardly 
a naval force on the lake worthy of being men- 
tioned, and the only operations that took place 
were mere raids or forays. In June, 1813, Lieutenant Smith 
had been despatched with the two sloops "Growler" and 
" Eagle," which were the only vessels then possessed by the 
Americans, to annoy the British gunboats at the northern end 
of the lake ; and rashly pursuing them into the Sorel River, from 
which he was unable to make his way out, he had been attacked 
by the boats, and by the troops that lined the banks, and his 
whole force had been captured. 

This gave the enemy control of the lake, and they were not 
slow to use their advantage. Four weeks later a body of troops 
were sent up from the Canadian territory to Plattsburg, along 
with the captured sloops, which had now been named the 
"Chubb" and the "Finch;" and the troops, landing, wrought 
great havoc at the post by destroying the buildings, and the 
supplies which had been stored there. 



MACDONOUGH AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 281 

The American commander at this time on Lake Champlain 
was Capt. Thomas Macdonough, of whom it may be truly said 
that no one in the old navy has left behind him a more spotless 
reputation, either as an officer or as a man. Brave and ener- 
getic, but prudent beyond his age, — for at this time he was but 
twenty-eight years old, — he was also earnest and sincere, grave 
but gentle, full of ardor, but of an even and kindly temper. He 
had been one of Preble's gallant band of officers, and he had 
sailed with Decatur in the " Intrepid " when the '■' Philadelphia " 
was burned ; and again he was at his brave leader's side when 
with nine men they boarded and carried the Tripolitan gunboat 
in the first battle before Tripoli. Formed in that school of 
chivalrous devotion, his own lofty spirit had gathered in these 
later years added strength and judgment ; and as events were 
now to show, no better man could have been chosen to defend 
the frontier at this its most vulnerable point. 

During the second year of the war, Macdonough was en- 
gaged, as Perry had been on Lake Erie, in building the vessels 
that were to form his fleet, but under difficulties even greater, 
in the want of workmen and materials. The British, too, were 
busily employed, and by the midsummer of 1814 the work of 
building was so far advanced that they began to think of taking 
the offensive, and to make the needful preparations for a great 
combined movement by land and water. An army of invasion 
numbering ten thousand men, many of them veterans, and com- 
manded by Sir George Prevost, was massed at Montreal to march 
up the shores of the lake as soon as the fleet should be ready to 
support them in their advance. Their commander, fortunately for 
us, was a most unfit officer, e-lse he would have made short work 



282 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of the handful of troops under General Macomb at Plattsburg, 
which was the only army to oppose him. The naval force, under 
Com. George Downie, as yet consisted only of the brig "Linnet" 
and the two captured sloops ; but there was also on the stocks, 
and nearly finished, the fine frigate " Confiance," which carried 
thirty long 24-pounders, — a very heavy battery for this lake war- 
fare. To oppose this force Macdonougli had one ship, the " Sara- 
toga," mounting eight long 24's, and eighteen carronades of heavy 
calibre ; but being carronades they were by no means equal to 
long guns, and the '' Saratoga " was therefore far from a match 
for the " Confiance." He had also the schooner " Ticonderoga " 
and the sloop '• Preble ; " and the "Eagle," a brig of fair size and 
metal, was still under construction. In the latter part of 
August both the "Confiance" and the "Eagle" were launched, 
so that by September both sides had made up their complete 
numbers. The two fleets had in addition a little flotilla of gun- 
boats, numbering ten or perhaps more upon each side. 

The opposing squadrons, in the number of men and in the 
weight of broadside, Avere as nearly matched as two naval 
squadrons well could be, and what difterence there was between 
them was in favor of the enemy. But it amounted to so little 
that it is hardly w^orth while to consider it at all. In all kinds 
of naval equipment the ships w^ere poorly fitted and supplied, 
but both sides shared equally in these deficiencies. 

Macdonough had been informed (jf the enemy's intentions, and 
made his plan to await their attack at Plattsburg, where the 
fleet and the army might stand or fall together. The formation 
of the bay at Plattsburg gave him a strong position. It lies on 
the western side of Lake Champlain, and is enclosed in part 




"on the stocks, and nearly finished, the fine frigate ^ confiance."' 



MACDONOUGH AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 285 

by a long neck of land which juts out into the lake, and curving 
like a hook or a bent finger, makes some distance to the south- 
ward. The enemy in advancing up the lake from the northern 
end must pass along this promontory on the outside, and then 
double its extreme point in order to enter the bay, passing to the 
northward again along its inner side. If they came up the lake 
with a leading wind, as they would doubtless do, they must beat 
up against the wind after they doubled the point ; and thus 
during their slow advance, while manoeuvring in a confined 
space, they would be exposed to the broadsides of the ships that 
lay at anchor within. 

With this in view Macdonough decided on his order of battle. 
His line was formed heading directly north and well inside the 
bay, the leading vessel, the brig " Eagle," being so near the 
inner curve of the bight that the enemy would not be able to 
turn the line by passing between her and the shore. Next came 
the flagship " Saratoga," and astern of her the scliooner " Ticon- 
deroga." The sloop " Preble " brought up the rear. In the 
intervals of the line the gunboats had their stations ; and these 
were to check any attempt of the enemy to turn the rear b}^ 
passing through the narrow opening between the " Preble " and 
Crab Island shoal, which closed the bay on the southern side. 
A small battery on Crab Island aided still more in giving this 
protection. In these arrangements Commodore Macdonough 
showed great foresight and judgment ; but he was not satisfied 
with this, and it was by the additional precautions that he took, 
which few commanders would have thought of, that he evinced 
his greatest skill, and indeed in the end saved the battle. 
Knowing that with his battery of carronades his engaged broad- 



286 THE BOYS OF 1S12. 

side would in time become disabled, he made the most careful 
preparations to wind his ship, — that is, to turn her round, — so 
that she might bring a fresh broadside to bear. This would be 
no easy matter for a ship at anchor in a narrow space in a 
crowded bay, and under the enemy's fire ; but he resolved that 
it should be done. So besides the usual anchors, he planted 
kedges broad off on his ship's bows, with hawsers hanging in 
bights under the water, and leading to her quarters. The 
stream anchor was susjDended astern. We shall see presently 
how important these precautions became. 

Soon after daybreak, on the lltli of September, 1814, just 
a year and a day after the battle of Lake Erie, the picket boat 
of the American squadron, lying outside the bay, descried the 
advancing enemy, and falling back, announced to Commodore 
Macdonough their apjoroach. The ships were at once cleared for 
action. At eight o'clock the masts of the enemy's vessels could 
be seen across the neck of Cumberland Head, and soon they had 
rounded the point and were standing in, formed in line ahead, 
the "Chubb" leading, toward the van of the American squad- 
ron. The " Chubb " and '' Linnet " were to engage the " Eagle." 
Next came the " Confiance," with her powerful battery, marked 
out to engage the " Saratoga," and the " Finch," with the greater 
part of the gunboats, to attack the rear, and endeavor to turn 
the line. 

The water in the bay was smooth, and the English squadron 
filled, and came down on the starboard tack, without a sound to 
break the stillness. On board the American ships the men 
awaited in silence and expectation the order to fire. The 



MACDONOUGH AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 287 

^' Eagle " was the first to open, discharging in succession her 
18-pounders, but the shot fell short. On board the " Saratoga " 
a rooster which had been set free in clearing away the hen-coops, 
startled by the report of the guns, flew upon a gun-slide, and 
flapping his wings, crowed cheerily. This little incident relieved 
the strain of waiting, and the blue-jackets, taking it as a 
good omen, broke out in cheers and laughter. Commodore 
Macdonough stood on his quarter-deck unmoved, watching the 
play of the " Eagle's " shot. x\s soon as he saw them reach the 
mark, he walked to one of the 24-pounders, and pointing it care- 
fully himself at the bow of the " Confiance," touched the match 
and fired. The shot entered near the hawse-hole of the enemy's 
ship and passed the whole length of the deck, killing and 
wounding several men in its passage, and ended its course by 
carrying away the wheel. All the long guns of the '' Saratoga" 
now began to play upon the enemy's frigate, every shot telling 
with deadly effect. Still the "'Confiance" continued to advance 
without replying, with a stubborn bravery that moved to admira- 
tion all who witnessed it. At last she swung into position and 
came to anchor, not so near as Captain Downie could have 
wished, but as near as he could venture under the galling fire. 
The " Chubb " and " Linnet " took their places ahead of him, 
engaging the " Eagle ; " but not a gun was fired from the frigate 
until the anchoring was complete and everything had been 
secured in true seamanlike manner. 

Suddenly a sheet of flame seemed to burst from the side 
of the " Confiance," as her whole broadside was fired. The 
guns, double-shotted and aimed at point-blank range, in smooth 
water, sent flying their volley of huge 24-pound shot ; and under 



. 288 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the shock the "• Saratooja " shivered as thouojh a ram had struck 
her. Half the crew were thrown down to the deck, and forty 
were killed or wounded by the cannon-balls or flying splinters. 
The first lieutenant, Gamble, struck in the breast by a split 
quoin or gun-wedge, fell dead without so much as a break in the 
skin. For an instant the '' Saratoga " ceased her fire, but the next 
moment it was resumed with redoubled energy. Macdonough, 
pointing one of the guns himself, was knocked senseless by 
a blow from a shattered spar, but regaining consciousness he 
sprang to his feet and went back to his work at the gun. A 
moment later a shot struck the gun-captain, taking his head 
clean off, and the head struck Macdonough with such force that 
it threw him across the deck into the scujopers. On board the 
other ship, Downie, standing in the rear of the gun at a moment 
when a shot from the " Saratoga " struck its muzzle, received 
a blow in the groin as the gun was driven from its carriage, and 
fell to the deck ; he never spoke again.^ After this the broad- " 
sides from both ships gradually became less and less deadly. 
The British sailors, inexperienced in handling the guns, loaded 
hurriedly, sometimes putting in the ball or wad before the car- 
tridge, and as the quoins were loosened, the breech of the gun 
fell lower and lower, raising the nuizzle, until the shot passed 
harmlessly through the air. The " Saratoga's " carronades, too. 
were overloaded, and what with that and with the enemy's fire, 
those on the engaged or starboard side were disabled one by one, 
until at last only a single carronade remained ; and as the crew 
were taking a final shot with this, the recoil broke the weakened 
bolt, and the gun jumped down the hatchway. 

1 This gun with its cracked muzzle is still {)reserved at the Naval Academy. 



MACDONOUGH AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 289 

Ahead of the two flagships the battle had all this time been 
raging, but with no more certain result. The little " Chubb," 
it is true, manoeuvring at the head of the line, lost her bowsprit 
and main boom under the " Eagle's " fire ; and drifting down on 
the American line, a shot from the '' Saratoga " made her a prize, 
and a midshipman in the '' Saratoga's " boat towed her in shore. 
The fight at this end was now between the '• Eagle " and the 
" Linnet,'" and the enemy was getting the best of it. Indeed, 
the " Eagle," having lost her springs, could not return the 
" Linnet's " fire with advantage, so sheeting home her topsails, 
she cut her cable and ran down the line, taking a new berth 
astern of the " Saratoga," and bringing a fresh broadside to bear. 

Meantime a separate battle was going on at the rear of the 
line. Here the British had their stroncrest o-unboats, and the 
Americans their weakest. It was upon the " Preble " that the 
attack was first directed, and after a time the g;unboats succeeded 
in. making her berth too warm, and cutting her cable she drifted 
in to leeward. After this repulse she was not again engaged. 
In a short time the '- Finch," attempting to carry the " Ticon- 
deroga," was disabled by two well-aimed broadsides, and she also 
drifted out of the fight, at last going ashore on Crab Island, 
where she struck to the neighboring battery. The " Ticon- 
deroga " was now pressed hard by the English gunboats, which 
attacked her with great dash and energy ; but Lieutenant Casein, 
who commanded her. defended her valiantly, standing on the 
taffrail amid a shower of grape and canister, and beating back 
the assailants as they crowded around his little sloop. It was 
thus due to Cassin's vigorous eiforts that the rear was held 
so firmly on that trying day. 



290 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

The fight had now been going on for an hour or more, and 
the critical point in the battle had been reached, when the forces 
of both sides were nearly exhausted, and the next move meant 
victory or defeat. The " Ticonderoga " might still hold the rear, 
and the " Eagle " could make some reply to the " Confiance ; " 
but the " Saratoga " had not a gun left on her starboard side, 
which was toward the enemy, and the '' Linnet," unopposed, had 
stationed herself off the American flagship's bow, and was raking 
her without resistance. To remain where she was meant de- 
struction to the "Saratoga." Now, then, was the time to use the 
appliances which MacDonough's careful forethought had provided. 
He resolved to wind the ship, so that his port broadside could be 
brought to bear. It was a difficult and dangerous process in the 
face of the enemy's fire, for if once his men should be thrown 
into confusion all would be lost. But with the captain standing 
on the quarter-deck, calm and collected, there was no danger 
that any one would lose his head. The stream anchor was let 
go astern, and the hawser, bent to the kedge on the starboard 
bow, which had been carried to the starboard quarter, was 
hauled in until the ship was half-way round. Then the men 
clapped on a line bent to the stream anchor, and pulled and 
tugged, but with all their efforts they could only swing her far 
enough to make one gun bear on the " Confiance." Instantly 
this was manned and opened fire. But this was not enough. 
The ship now hung with her stern exposed to the raking fire 
of the " Linnet." Something must be done, and quickly. What 
should it be ? There still remained the other kedge, planted 
broad off the port bow. That alone could accomplish the result. 
Its hawser, leading to the port quarter, was carried forward, passed 



MACDONOUGH AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 291 

under the bow and then aft on the other side, where the crew 
roused on it with a will. It seemed not much, but it was 
enough, and in a few minutes more the " Saratoga " was head- 
ing south, and firing at the " Confiance " from a clean, fresh, 
broadside battery. 

This ended the battle. The " Confiance " herself, attempting 
to wind, was caught when half-way round, and after enduring 
a few moments of the "Saratoga's" fresh fire, struck her colors 
and surrendered. The " Linnet " held out a little longer, but it 
was a useless struggle, and she too hauled down her flag. 

It was a complete victory. The enemy were more than 
defeated, — they were annihilated, their squadron wiped out of 
existence. Lake Champlain, which till this point in the war 
had been almost a British lake, was now delivered up without 
a possibility of recovery. Sir George Prevost, seeing the issue 
of the battle in the bay, made only a feeble demonstration 
against Plattsburg, and soon he was in full retreat to Canada, 
and New York was saved from the threatened invasion. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 

URING the latter part of the war, as might 
have been foreseen, there was little oppor- 
tunity for American frigates to show that 
they could keep up the fame they had so 
gloriously won. The British were deter- 
mined that none of them that ventured out to 
sea should escape; and by stationing a squad- 
ron, which their great resources enabled them to do, before each 
port where a frigate lay, they succeeded in keeping it cooped up 
and inactive. No longer were offers made by British captains, 
like that of the chivalrous Broke before Boston, to send away 
part of their vessels, leaving one to fight a duel with the frigate 
that was in the harbor. A steady watch was kept up before 
each port by the whole blockading squadron. The " Constella- 
tion," which had won such high renown under Truxtun in the 
French war, sailed from Washington down the Chesapeake Bay ; 
but falling in with the heavy squadron of the enemy near Hamp- 
ton Roads, composed of ships-of-the-line and frigates, she took 
refuge at Norfolk, and here or in the river below she remained 
blockaded till the end of the war. The " President " was lying at 
New York, and off the port were the " Majestic " (razee) and 



STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 293 

three frigates, — the " Endymion," " Pomone," and " Tenedos." 
The '' United States " and '' Macedonian," after getting out from 
New York though Hell Gate, encountered tlie British squadron 
of a line-of-battle ship and two frigates at the eastern entrance of 
the Sound, and put in to New London, where they lay in the 
mud for eighteen months unable to get out. The " Constitution," 
under Captain Stewart at Boston, found herself checked in the 
same way by a squadron of heavy frigates. 

The " Adams," which had been a 28-gun frigate, but which 
was now a corvette, managed to slip out from Washington in 
January, 1814, under the command of Charles Morris, who had 
been promoted to a captain for his service in the battle with 
the '^ Guerriere " seventeen months before. Six months were 
passed in cruising, part of the time off the Irish coast, but with 
no great success ; for Morris was not fortunate in meeting prizes 
of any value, and once or twice he narrowly escaped the enemy's 
larger frigates. At length the scurvy showed itself among the 
crew, and the ship was turned toward home. But it was almost 
as difficult for American ships to get in as to get out. About 
the middle of August Morris arrived off the coast of Maine, 
where unluckily for him he sighted the English sloop " Rifle- 
man," which he chased, but which escaped in the fog. Soon 
after the " Adams " went ashore at the mouth of the Penobscot 
River, and when she got off, Morris found her so much injured 
that he resolved to go several miles up the river to Hampden, 
where he could refit, as there were ship-yards all along the 
bank. 

A short time before Morris's arrival a large force made up of 
seventy-fours and frigates had left Halifax to make a descent 



294 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

on the Maine coast, and near Castine it received news from the 
"Rifleman " of the presence of the " Adams." This was exactly 
what the enemy wanted. Some light vessels and boats, with 
about six hundred troops, were at once detached and sent up 
the river to capture her. Morris had dismantled the ship and 
landed her guns and stores preparatory to making the needed 
repairs. By dint of hard work nine of the guns were mounted 
in battery on a neighboring liill-top, but without protection, and 
the remainder were placed in position on the wharf where the 
ship was lying. Farther up the river was a creek crossed by 
a bridge ; but the bridge was not strong enough to allow the 
guns to be carried over, and the Americans were thus prevented 
from taking up their position in rear of the creek. There was 
a sufficient force of men to defend the position, supposing that 
it had been well taken, with proper preparations, and that 
the men were good men. But more than half of them were 
militia, whose officers knew nothing of war, and whose men had 
no steadiness under fire. 

The enemy landed at sunset on the 2d of September, and early 
the next morning made a sharp attack. The day was chill and 
rainy, and a heavy fog hid the hill, which the militia were to 
defend, from the view of Morris and his command on the wharf. 
Soon the enemy's bugles were heard on the road below the hill- 
battery, followed by three discharges from one of the guns. 
A few moments later word was passed by the marines, who had 
been posted at intervals between the hill-battery and the wharf, 
that the militia had broken and were fleeino; in disorder. There 
was no time to be lost ; for if the enemy should gain the bridge 
in the rear, the retreat of the sailors would be cut off. The 



STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 295 

ship was set on fire, the guns were spiked, and Morris and his 
men retired to the creek. Here they found the panic-stricken 
militia crowding over the bridge, and the seamen, being without 
firearms, could make no real resistance. So they forded the 
creek, and being now safe from pursuit, they marched through 
the woods to the Kennebec. Here they separated into detach- 
ments, taking different routes, as in this way it was easier 
to obtain provision on the journey, and finally all arrived safely 
at Portsmouth. 



At this time the " Constitution " was, as I have said, lying 
at Boston, watched by a squadron of the enemy. She had 
proved a lucky ship, just as the "Chesapeake" and "Adams" 
had proved unlucky ; and her present captain, Charles Stewart, 
who had been one of Preble's lieutenants at Tripoli, was cer- 
tainly a man well fitted to make the most of any chance he had. 
The frigate had been in port since April, at first repairing, and 
later unable to get out owing to the presence of the enemy's 
squadron. In December, 1814, this squadron was composed 
of the " Newcastle " of fifty guns, under Lord George Stuart, 
and the " Acasta " of forty guns, under Captain Kerr. About 
the 12th of the month the " Newcastle," for some unexplained 
reason, ran down into Cape Cod Bay, where she grounded for 
a short time on a shoal. Here she was joined by the " Acasta." 
Captain Stewart was on the watch, and when he found out 
the situation, he did not wait long. All was quickly in readi- 



296 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



ness, and having quietly weighed her anchor, the '• Constitu- 
tion," setting all her sail with a fair wind, was soon dashing 
at full speed down the harbor and out to sea ; and before the 
enemy could learn of her flight, she was ploughing the waves 

of the broad Atlan- 
tic. With what de- 
lisfht her officers and 
men, after their long 
confinement and in- 
action in port, felt 
once more the salt 
breezes speeding the 
good ship on her 
course, the spray 
dashing from her 
bow as it cut the 
surging billows ! 
Now at last there 
was a hope that 
with such a ship 
and such a captain 
they might win for 
the navy new vic- 
tories, and add to the laurels which their companions had already 
gathered. 

The '' Constitution " stood across the Atlantic to the coast 
of Spain and Portugal, and thence stretched over to the Azores 
and down to Madeira. On the 20th of February, being then 
about sixty leagues distant from Madeira, at one o'clock in the 




CAPTAIN CHARLKS STEWART. 



stp:waiit and " old ironsides." 297 

afternoon she sighted two vessels sailing apparently in companj', 
but at the moment some ten miles apart. These were discovered 
after a time to be two British ships-of-war, — the corvette " Cyane " 
of twenty-two guns, Captain Falcon, and the sloop " Levant " 
of twenty guns, Captain Douglas. The •• Constitution " made 
all sail in chase, hoping to be able to engage the vessels sepa- 
rately. The "Levant" was the nearer of the two, and soon 
she was seen straining every nerve to join her consort, and 
making signals that the stranger was an enemy. (Japtain 
Stewart had crowded on everything the ship would carry, even 
to topmast, top-gallant, and royal studding-sails ; indeed it was 
a little more than she could carry, as the main royal mast 
presently snapped off. and another had to be prepared. 

The enemy's ships were thus enabled to effect a junction, and 
after manoeuvring to delay the action until dark, which they 
thouo;ht would o;ive them an advantage, thev hauled by the 
wind on the starboard tack, and formed in column, the " Le- 
vant " leading. Their united force was not so strong as that 
of the "Constitution." but as there were two of them, the 
American frigate was required above all tilings- to be alert in 
her movements, so that she mig;ht not be taken at a disad- 
vantage. For this special purpose she could have no better 
commander than Stewart, who excelled in skilful seamanship. 
Soon after six she ranged up on the starboard oi- weather quarter 
of the " Cyane," the rearmost ship, and fired her broadside at 
a distance of two hundred yards. The "Cyane" replied with 
spirit; and as the "Constitution" forged ahead, the "Levant" 
in turn opened on her, receiving her fire at the same time. The 
ships were now in a triangular fight, but as the " Constitution " 



298 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

moved on, she became engaged with the ^' Levant " alone. 
Presently the smoke lifted, and Stewart saw the " Cyane " 
luffing up for his port quarter. Without an instant's hesitation, 
without stopping to wear or tack, which would have exposed 
his bow or stern to a raking lire, he simply braced aback his 
topsails, at the same time giving the " Levant " a parting 
broadside, and backed astern till he had the " Cyane " abeam, 
so that she was compelled to bear up again to avoid a/ rake. 
A furious cannonade now silenced her, and the " Levant " wore, 
to come to her assistance. But Stewart was on the alert 
again, and seeing this manoeuvre he filled and shot ahead, and 
catching the sloop in the midst of the operation he gave her 
two terrific stern-rakes. Then, wearing himself in the smoke, 
his movements as quick and as nimble as those of a trained 
gymnast, he bore down again on the " Cyane," who, thinking 
him gone, was herself beginning to wear, and arriving in the 
nick of time, he raked her stern as he had just raked her con- 
sort's. Ranging up immediately after on her quarter, Stewart 
had the satisfaction of receiving her surrender. 

Lieutenant Hoffman and a few men were now thrown hastily 
on board the prize, and the ''Constitution " went in search of the 
"Levant," which had made sail after her last encounter. But 
she had only hauled oft' to repair damages, and coming back she 
passed the '• Constitution " on the opposite tack, the two ships ex- 
changing broadsides. This last was enough, and the sloop now 
sought to escape in good earnest. But it was of no avail ; the 
frigate was on her heels, and after receiving a few shot from, the 
bow guns of the "Constitution," the " Levant " struck her colors. 

Captain Stewart had now completed a good day's work, 



STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 299 

and putting Lieutenant Ballard on board the " Levant," he pro- 
ceeded to Port Praya, in tlie Cape de Verde Islands, where he 
came to anchor. Here we must leave him for a moment, to 
return to the blockading squadron which he had left before 
Boston. The " Newcastle " and '' Acasta " returned to their 
station, and discovered to their dismay that the " Constitution " 
had given them the slip, and had got off in their absence. 
This was a serious mishap. Of all the American ships, the 
'' Constitution " — " Old Ironsides," as she was called — was the 
worst offender. She had captured two frigates, the '' Guerriere " 
and the " Java," and there was no telling what mischief she 
might be up to now. At this juncture the squadron was re- 
inforced by another 50-gun ship, the •' Leander," under Sir 
George Collier, K. C. B. ; and Sir George, being the senior 
officer, decided that there was but one thing to be done, and 
that was to go in pursuit. It seemed like a wild-goose chase, 
to search for a ship that might be anywhere on the Atlantic 
Ocean. But fortune favored the pursuers in a most wonderful 
manner ; for it so happened that on one foggy morning 
at Port Praya, as the " Constitution " was lying snugly at 
anchor, with a large part of her crew at work on board the 
prizes. Lieutenant Shubrick, the officer of the deck, as he was 
looking idly seaward, gazing at vacancy, was startled at catch- 
ing sight, through a rift in the fog, of the sails of a great ship- 
of-war looming up distinctly, though her hull was hidden from 
view. He rubbed his e3'es, thinking that some illusion must 
have deceived him ; but there was the great spread of white 
canvas, and the ship that bore it was making for the anchorage. 
He rushed below to tell the captain. 



300 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

"Well." said Stewart, calmly, as he repaired to the deck, 
" she is either an English frigate or an Indiaman. Call all 
hands at once, and get the ship ready to go out and attack 
her." 

But when they came on deck it was a different story, for 
the fog had lifted a little, and two more sail were seen following 
the first. Sure enough ; these were Stewart's old friends, the 
blockaders, — the '^ Newcastle " and '' Acasta," — and with them 
was another and equally formidable ship, the '' Leander." They 
had started from the American coast a week behind the " Con- 
stitution," and after cruising about vainly in search of her 
for over two months, they had chanced upon the very spot which 
she had chosen as the best place in which to refit. 

Port Praya was in neutral territory, and by the estab- 
lished laws of war the -'Constitution" and her prizes, as long 
as they lay there, should have been safe from molestation. But 
so little respect had been paid by the British to these rules, that 
Captain Stewart decided in an instant that he would place 
no reliance upon neutral protection. That settled, there was 
not a moment to be lost, for the enemy would soon be at the 
entrance of the harbor. Loosing his topsails, the captain sig- 
nalled to the prizes to follow him, and cutting his cable, in 
seven minutes from the time when the first frigate was sighted 
the three ships were standing out of the liarbor. That was 
rare discipline and organization, for not one crew in twenty 
could have accomplished the task. 

It was blowing fresh as the "Constitution,"- followed by the 
prizes, passed close under the point of land at the entrance, 
within gunshot of the enemy's squadron, and being to windward 



STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 301 

of them, she crossed her top-gallant yards, and set the foresail, 
mainsail, spanker, flying-jib, and top-gallant sails. The enemy 
immediately tacked, and made sail in chase. The six ships 
were now all upon the port tack, the " Constitution " racing 
along at the head of the line. Next came the prizes. Of the 
enemy, the " Newcastle " was leading, the "Leander" two miles 
astern of her, and the "' Acasta " on her weather quarter. At 
half-past twelve the '' Constitution " cut adrift the boats that 
she had been towing astern. Half an hour later Captain 
Stewart perceived that the ■' Acasta " was lulhng up, and 
thereby gaining his wake. At the same time the '' Cyane," 
the rearmost of the prizes, was dropping astern and to leeward. 
^' If she keeps on in this wa3^" he reasoned, *■• it will be impos- 
sible to save her without bringing the ' Constitution ' into 
action, which will certainly result in her capture. If the 
'■ Cyane ' tacks, the ^ Acasta ' may go oft" in pursuit, but the 
prize will gain the anchorage at Port Praya before the enemy 
can catch her ; that is probably her only chance. On the 
other hand, if the enemy fail to pursue her, she can escape." 
The signal was therefore made to the *•' Cj^ane " to tack, which 
she accordingly did, and finding that the English squadron took 
no notice of her, she went off in good style, and laying her 
course for the United States, she arrived there safely just 
a month later. 

At three o'clock the '• Levant " found herself losing ground, 
exactly as the '' Cyane " had been doing two hours before. 
She also was therefo^re signalled to tack, which was immediately 
done. Now came the singular part of this day's proceedings. 
Seeing the '• Levant " making off. Sir George Collier, instead 



802 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of keeping on and attempting to come up with the "Constitu- 
tion," which, if he could have overtaken her, would surely have 
become his prize, abandoned the pursuit, and tacking with all 
his vessels, went off after the "Levant." The latter imme- 
diately made for the harbor ; but Stewart's surmises aljout 
British respect for the neutrality of the port turned out to be 
correct. The prize anchored close under the batteries of the 
port, and the " Leander " and " Acasta " immediately opened 
fire with a broadside, most of which, however, passed above her, 
and did more damage in the town than on board the vessel. 
After this illegal attack the squadron completed its work by 
an inglorious capture. 

The British officers who were prisoners on board the " Con- 
stitution " had all the while been eagerly watching the manoeu- 
vres of the squadron, which they expected presently to set them 
free. Great was their chagrin and disappointment when they 
saw this overwhelming force diverting its course in pursuit 
of the little prize sloop whose capture was of no earthly 
moment to the British Navy, and leaving "Old Ironsides," 
the frigate which more than any other under the American 
flag that navy longed to take, to go on her way rejoicing. 
Yet so it happened ; and the " Constitution," now freed from all 
anxiety, shaped her course comfortably for home, where she 
arrived in May without any further mischances. 



STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 303 



The only other frigate that left port in the last year of the 
war was less fortunate than the " Constitution." This was 
the "President," now under Commodore Decatur. She was 
at New York, and for some time had lain at anchor off Staten 
Island watching for an opportunity to pass the blockading 
squadron. On the 13th of January, 1815, a heavy snow-storm 
drove the enemy off the coast ; and next day, as the wind was 
favorable, Decatur determined to make the attempt in the 
night. Unfortunately the " President " in going out grounded 
on the bar, and by this accident lost an hour or two of darkness. 
Unfortunately also the shrewdness of the British commander, 
Captain Hayes, had led him to stand away to the northward 
and eastward, in what would probably be the course of an 
American ship if any such came out, in preference to closing 
the land to the southward. Hence at daybreak, being then 
about fifty miles from Sandy Hook, and steering southeast, 
the " President " found herself close upon the very ships she 
was trying to avoid, and within two miles of the largest of 
them, the " Majestic," a razee of sixty guns. The others were 
the frigate " Endymion " of fifty guns, and the " Pomone " 
and the '' Tenedos," of forty-four each. Seeing such an over- 
whelming force directly in his path, Decatur changed his course 
to the northeast, and crowded sail to pass the enemy. The 
whole squadron immediately gave chase, and when the pursuit 
was fairly begun, the "Majestic" was some five miles astern, 
the "Endymion" following, and the "Pomone" a little farther 
off on the " President's " port quarter. 

For six hours the chase continued, with no change in the 
position of the ships. The " President," laden with all the stores 



304 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

for her cruise, was deep and sluggish in the water, and it was 
only by vigorous efforts that she kept her distance from her 
pursuers. At length, about noon, the wind became light and 
baffling. The " Majestic " was now falling astern, but the '' En- 
dymion " began to gain rapidly. All hands on ' board the 
'' President " were busy lightening the ship, starting the water, 
cutting away the anchors, and throwmg overboard provisions, 
cables, spare spars, boats, — everything, in short, that could 
be got at, — while the sails were kept wet from the royals down. 
The uncertain wind now blew only for the enemy ; the '' En- 
dymion " had a good breeze, while it fell light upon the sails 
of the " President." At five o'clock the English frigate got 
a good position on the '' President's " quarter, where none of 
Decatur's guns could be brought to bear on her. Still she 
did not close, preferring to yaw from time to time so that her 
broadside would bear, and then resume the chase, rather than 
risk anything by a close action. 

The pursuit had lasted all through the short winter's day, 
and it was now dusk. Seeing that the " Endymion's " tactics 
must end in his being crippled, Decatur suddenly altered his 
course to the southward, which compelled the enemy to do the 
same, and so brought her abeam, and a battle began between 
the two ships, broadside to broadside, Decatur encouraging 
and cheering his men, and fighting as steadily as if there 
were no other enemies in sight. His guns were aimed rather 
at the " Endymion's " spars than at her hull, seeing that 
his object was to destroy her power of sailing, and thus his 
loss in men was far greater than that of the enemy. Never- 
theless, after two hours of a running fight the " Endymion '* 



STEWART AND "OLD IRONSIDES." 305 

drew out of the battle, and dropped astern to repair her 
injuries. 

Decatur now continued on his course, hoping against hope 
that in the darkness of the night he might yet escape. But 
his pursuers were close a.t his heels and never lost sight of him 
for a moment. So well did he hold his own, that for more than 
two hours after the light with the •■• Endymion " the enemy 
only gained on liiui inch by inch. At last, at eleven o'clock, the 
" Pomone " ranged up alongside, and planting herself within 
musket-shot on his port bow, she opened fire. At the same 
moment the '' Tenedos " had taken a raking position on his 
quarter. If this had been the beginning of the action, it would 
have been right for the commodore to resist the attack, even 
though his resistance had lasted but a few moments and had 
accomplished no result. But in his two hours' action with the 
" Endymion " he had upheld with gallantry the honor of the 
flag, and with sixty men already killed or wounded it was prob- 
able that an attempt to fight the new assailants would only 
cause a useless slaughter. So he surrendered, and the "• Presi- 
dent " became from that day forth what she still remains, — a 
British frigate. It was a defeat indeed, but one which left the 
vanquished as much credit as the victors. 

The actions of the •' President " with the British squadron, 
and of the "Constitution" with the " Cyane " and the "Levant," 
were the last frigate engagements of the war. Indeed, the 
treaty of peace had already been signed, and it only awaited 
ratification. What had been the results of the naval war ? The 
British Navy, numbering more than forty times our own, had 



306 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

met in the battles on the ocean with more defeats than victories, 
and on the lakes its squadrons had been twice annihilated. 
Its naval prowess, of which the wars with Dutch and Danes 
and French and Spaniards gave it so much cause to boast, was 
now matched by the naval prowess of a new rival in the Western 
Continent. The people who for twenty years had submitted 
to aggression, learned that those to whom their defence upon 
the ocean was intrusted were worthy of the trust, and would 
prove brave and efficient champions against a foreign foe, 
however great his power or prestige ; and from that time for- 
ward no political party in the United States dared to rely for 
popular support upon a platform of tame submission to foreign 
encroachment. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE WAR WITH ALGIERS. 




HEN the war with Great Britain 
broke out in 1812, it was no 
longer possible to keep ships 
cruising in the Mediterranean 
to overawe the States of Bar- 
bary. It was true that the 
severe lesson wliicli Tripoli had 
received from Commodore Pre- 
ble in 1804 was well remem- 
bered, and the Pasha had no 
desire to have it repeated. But Algiers, the most powerful 
State upon the northern coast of Africa, had. always cherished 
a contemptuous feeling for the United States, which was still 
weakly paying tribute ; and no sooner did the Dey learn that 
England, the mistress of the seas, was at war with the American 
Government, than he resolved to take advantage of the stress 
thus put upon the American Navy to break his treaty obligations. 
In order that he might have some pretext, he made complaint 
that the naval stores sent to him were not so good as the treaty 
called for, and after extorting by savage threats a heavy pay- 
ment from the Consul of the United States, he finally expelled 



308 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

him. with all the other Americans, from his dominions. He 
even went beyond this, and took up again his old trade of 
pirate, capturing the brig ••' Edwin," of Salem, and imprisoning 
her officers and crew, whom he refused to release even on pay- 
ment of the heaviest ransom. 

So matters continued during the war, it being impossible, 
as we have seen, to send out ships-of-war to the Mediterranean. 
But the moment that peace was declared, all this was changed. 
The navy, which had for nearly three years successfully defied 
the power of Great Britain on the sea, was not likely to shrink 
from an encounter with the corsairs of Algiers ; and the Ameri- 
can people, who had learned their strength, were no longer will- 
ing to submit to the encroachments of a petty barbarian prince. 
Besides, the navy, so far from having been destroyed in the 
war, was stronger than at the beginning. Of the larger frigates 
there still remained the " Constitution," the " United States," 
the " Constellation," and the '' Congress ; " and during the last 
year of the war others had been built, too late, indeed, to be 
of service against Great Britain, bat ready now for conquests 
over a new enemy. There was the " Independence," the first 
American line-of-battle ship, of seventy-four guns, and there were 
the splendid frigates " Guerriere " and " Java," named after the 
prizes of 1812. 

It was with joyful prospects that the new squadron, composed 
of eleven sail, under the command of Commodore Decatur, who 
hoisted his broad pennant in the flagship " Guerriere," set out 
from New York on the '20tli of May, 1815, bound for the Medi- 
terranean. The squadron stood directly across the Atlantic, 
making a quick passage, and heading cautiously for the Strait 



THE WAR WITH ALGIERS. 309 

of Gibraltar, arrived before any news of its departure had 
reached that quarter of the globe. It was Decatur's hope to 
take the Algerines by surprise while they were cruising, and 
his precautions were rewarded by success. 

Touching at Tangier for information, and learning that the 
Algerine vessels had been heard from but a short time before, 
the commodore proceeded up the Mediterranean, and off Cape 
de Gatt he fell in with the enemy's flagship, the '• Mezourah," 
commanded by the Rais Hammida, the bravest and most skilful 
officer in the Algerine navy. The '^ Mezourah " was a beautiful 
frigate, originally a Portuguese, and sailed uncommonly fast. 
Hammida* at first supposed that the ships were English, as no 
one could dream that an American squadron of such force was 
in that neighborhood ; but one of the vessels having hoisted 
American -eolors by mistake, he was undeceived, and speedily 
took to his heels. The '' Constellation," being nearest to him, 
opened fire ; but Decatur could not resist the temptation, and 
signalling to her to sheer off, he dashed up in the '• Guerriere " 
until he was alongside the enemy. Then he gave her one of 
those thundering broadsides which had so many times carried 
dismay and destruction to English frigates. The Rais was 
killed, his body cut in two by a shot ; his ship was shattered, 
and his people fell on all sides about the decks. The survivors 
were demoralized, and hardly returned the fire. A second 
broadside was discharged, and the " Mezourah " turned to flee ; 
but the little " Epervier," herself a trophy of the last war, was 
in her path, and the Algerine surrendered. 

Two days later the squadron fell in with' another of the 
enemy's ships, the brig " Estedio." SVie took to flight, and 



310 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

being near the Spanish coast, ran into shallow water, where 
the large ships could not follow her. The brigs and schooners 
were sent in after her, and attacking her hotly, she was run 
ashore, and presently surrendered. She was floated off without 
much delay, and was sent with the other prize to Carthagena. 

Further concealment was useless; and tlie commodore, having 
now nearly five hundred Algerine prisoners, decided to proceed 
to Algiers, and on the 28th of June he entered the bay. The 
Dey was amazed at the sight of the squadron, and, fearful 
for the safety of his cruisers, all of which were now out, he 
sent the captain of the port with the Swedish consul-general to 
ascertain the purposes of the American commodore. Decatur 
received them with due ceremony, dressed in his full uniform 
and surrounded by his officers. After exchanging courtesies, 
he asked the captain of the port what had become of the 
Algerine squadron. 

" By this time," answered the wily Turk, " it is safe in some 
neutral port." 

" Not the whole of it," rejoined the commodore ; and then he 
told the story of Hammida's death, and the capture of the 
" Mezourah " and the " Estedio." 

This did not satisfy the official, who shook his head and 
smiled, as much as to say, " That is all very well, but you don't 
expect me to believe j^our story." 

" Wait a moment," said Decatur ; and he sent for the 
" Mezourah's " lieutenant, who, coming on deck enfeebled by his 
wounds, briefly recited the circumstances of the two captures. 

The captain of the port was no longer incredulous, but 
began to realize the seriousness of the situation. Alarmed and 



THE WAR WITH ALGIERS. 311 

anxious, he asked the commodore what terms he offered. De- 
catur's reply was brief : '^ No tribute ; no ransom ; liberation 
of all American captives ; immunity of all American ships and 
crews in future." 

Hearing this answer, the captain of the port hesitated and 
proposed a truce, during which the commissioners should nego- 
tiate on shore. But the commodore declared that all the dis- 
cussion should be on board his flagship, and that he would not 
cease from hostilities a moment until the treaty had been signed. 
With this answer the captain of the port returned to his 
master. 

The Dey's wrath was great when he learned the news, but 
his alarm was even greater. On the next day the captain 
of the port returned, and the commodore gave him a copy 
of the proposed treaty. Still he demurred, seeking to gain 
time. He asked again for a truce, and again it was refused. 
He begged for three hours to consider the terms, but the com- 
modore answered, " Not a minute ; " and he added to the mes- 
senger, " If your squadron or one of your ships appears in sight 
off the port before the treaty is signed, I will capture it." All 
that he would promise was that if the boat, returning with the 
treaty signed, should hoist a white flag, hostilities should then 
cease. The captain of the port then took the treaty and pulled 
for the landing five miles away. 

Not long after his departure an Algerine corvette hove 
in sight at the entrance of the bay. The flagship made signal 
for a general chase, and Decatur himself bore down upon her 
in the " Guerriere." All this the Dey saw from his palace, and 
bitterly as he felt the humiliation, he did not long hesitate 



312 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

in affixing his signature and sending the treaty back. Soon 
the returning boat made its appearance, with the white flag 
hoisted which had been agreed u})oii as the signal that tlie treaty 
had been signed ; and tlie coiniiiodore, wlio had prepared to 
board the Algerine and have a battle like the old contests before 
Tripoli, hauled off shore and returned to his moorings. 

The boat approached rapidly, her progress quickened bj' the 
anxiety with wdiicli the captain of the port had watched the 
squadron's movements. 

"Is the treaty signed?" asked the co^imodore in his per- 
emptory way when the Swedish consul came on deck. 

" It is here," replied tlie consul, as he delivered the document. 
''And the prisoners?" continued Decatur. 
" They are in the boat." 

As they were speaking, the Americans, who after three years 
of confinement and suffering were now to be set free, reached the 
quarter-deck, where they were w^armly greeted by their. deliverer. 

This prompt action of Decatur at Algiers, and the treaty 
which resulted from it, put an end forever to the piratical 
depredations of the Barbary States upon American commerce, 
and the example set by the United States was soon after fol- 
lowed l^y England, so that Mediterranean piracy in a short time 
thereafter ceased to exist. On the 8th of July the squadron 
weighed anchor and proceeded to Tunis. During the late war 
the neutrality of this port as well as that of Tripoli had been 
violated" by British cruisers, which had seized within the two 
harbors the prizes of an American privateer, without opposition 
from the authorities. Commodore Decatur now proposed to 
obtain satisfaction for the outrage! 



THE WAR WITH ALGIERS. 315 

The consul of the United States at Tunis, Major Noah, was 
waiting for Decatur's arrival. He says : — 

"• On the 30th of July, about noon, we observed signals for a fleet 
from the tower at Cape Carthage, and shortly after the American 
squadron, under full sail, came into the bay and anchored. Nothing 
can be more welcome to a consul in Barbary than the sight of a fleet 
bearing the flag of his nation ; he feels that, surrounded by assassins 
and mercenaries, he is still safe and protected, and an involuntary 
tribute of admiration is i)aid by the Mussuhncn to that nation which has 
the powej- and the disposition to command respect. The flags of all the 
consulates were hoisted, and 1 lost no time in riding to Goletta, for the 
purpose of communicating with the squadron. On my way, a Mameluke 
on horseback presented me a letter from Commodore Decatur, announ- 
cing peace with Algiers, and desiring to know the nature of our differ- 
ences with Tunis. I had already prepared the documents and arranged 
the plan of procedure which I intended to suggest to the commodore. 
On my arrival at Goletta the Minister of Marine ordered the Bey's 
barge of twelve oars to be prepared for me, and arranged the silk 
cushions in the stern, and, accompanied by Abdallah the dragoman, 
I left the canal. 

" The squadron lay off Cape Carthage, arranged in handsome order ; 
the ' Guerriere,' bearing the broad i)ennant of the commodore, was in the 
centre, and the whole presented a very agreeable and commanding sight. 
In less than an hour I was alongside the flagship, and ascended on the 
quarter-deck. The marines w^ere under arms, and the Consul of the 
United States was received with the usual honors. Commodore Decatur 
and Captain Downes, both in uniform, were at the gangway, and most 
of the officers and crew pressed forw^ard to view their fellow-citizen." 

After an interview with the consul, Commodore Decatur 
wrote a letter to the Bey demanding an indenmity for the cap- 
tured prizes. This was duly delivered, and the consul, going 
ashore, had several interviews with the Tunisian minister. 



316 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

Next da}^ Captain Gordon and Captain Elliott were presented to 
the Bey, who consented, much against his will, to pay the 
money. 

Three days later the squadron sailed for Tripoli, where a sim- 
ilar demand was made. The Pasha hesitated ; but on learning 
what had happened at Tunis and Algiers, and remembering 
what this same Captain Decatur had done ten years before 
in his own harbor, he concluded that it would be wiser for him 
to yield. So he paid the money, and in addition released ten 
Neapolitan captives, whom Decatur desired to restore to their 
native country, as a return for the favors which the King of the 
Two Sicilies had shown the squadron in the earlier war. 

Thus was accomplished the whole object of Decatur's mission 
in fifty days after his arrival in the Mediterranean. Since that 
day there has been no trouble with the States of Barbary. The 
effect of Decatur's acts was rendered tenfold greater by the 
appearance of another squadron a month later, under Commo- 
dore Bainbridge, with his broad pennant on the new line-of- 
battle ship " Independence," and having with him besides the 
frigate " Congress " and three other vessels. The three ports 
of Barbary were visited in succession ; and great was the aston- 
ishment of the Turks at this second display of naval strength. 
'' You told us," said the Algerine Prime Minister to the British 
Consul, "that the Americans would be swept from the seas in six 
months by your navy ; and now they make war upon us with 
some of your own vessels ! " 

Late in September the frigate " United States " with four 
sloops in company arrived at Gibraltar, and here all the squad- 
rons assembled in one great fleet under Commodore Bainbridge, 



THE WAR WITH ALGIERS. 317 

— the grandest fleet which had ever been gathered under the 
flag of the United States. There was the great seventy-four the 
" Independence ; " Ave frigates, — the captured " Macedonian," 
the " United States " which had captured her, the new " Guer- 
riere," the " Congress," and the " Constellation ; " the sloops 
" Erie " and '' Ontario ; " the brigs " Firefly," •' Flambeau," "Sara- 
nac," '' Boxer," '' Enterprise," " Spark," and " Chippewa ; " and 
the schooners " Torch," " Lynx," and " Spitfire," — in all 
eighteen sail. And it was no slight satisfaction to the officers 
of the American squadron, when in this British port, that its 
two commodores were Bainbridge and Decatur, each of whom 
had taken a British frigate, and that the " Macedonian " and the 
"Boxer" were in the squadron, and flying the stars and stripes 
of the country that had captured them.^ 

1 It is au interesting fact, and one which, as far as I know, has never before been 
published, that when the practice squadron under Captain (now Rear- Admiral) Luce, 
sailed in 1865 to Europe, having on board the midshipmen from the Naval Acjidemy, 
a singular rencontre took place in the English Channel. Meeting an English frigate, 
Captain Luce hailed from the quarter-deck, — 

" Ship ahoy ! What ship is that ? " 

" Her Majesty's ship ' President,' " came the answer. " What ship is that ? " 

" The United States ship ' Macedonian,' " replied Captain Luce ; ft)r, strangely 
enough, the two vessels which half a century before had changed sides as prizes in the 
War of 1812 were now exchanging peaceful greetings under the flags of their respective 
conquerors. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 




E now come to a long break of thirty 
years, during which the United 
States were at peace with all the 
nations of the earth. But in this 
period the navy was by no means 
idle. There was first a long and 
arduous campaign against the pi- 
rates of the West Indies, which 
ended at last in sweeping from the seas the gangs of cut-throats 
that had so long infested the Spanish Main. When this impor- 
tant work had been successfully accomplislied, the navy was 
actively occupied in putting down the slave trade on the coast 
of Africa, and in protecting American commerce from the depre- 
dations of savage tribes in distant countries, above all on the 
coasts and islands of the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. The 
navy too was busy with its peaceful occupations ; for as the co- 
adjutor of the nation's commerce it is a part of its duty to sur- 
vey and explore the waters upon coasts hitherto unknown, to 
map out the channels, and to warn against the rocks and shoals 
and other dangers to the ships that will some day have to navi- 
gate these remote seas. It was in this period that the great 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 319 

exploring expedition was sent out to the Pacific under Lieuten- 
ant Wilkes, whose researches gave us our first accurate knowl- 
edge of the waters of this region, and form a lasting monument 
to the memory of the commander, and to the zeal and energy 
and skill of the navy which planned and carried out the 
enterprise. 

But the long period of peace was now to be rudely inter- 
rupted, and the complications that followed the annexation of 
Texas at last brought on hostilities with Mexico. The possibility 
of this war had been long foreseen by the Government, and the 
navy was found prepared for it. For several years a squadron 
had been maintained on the western coast of America, from 
Valparaiso to the Columbia River ; and at the declaration of 
war. May 12, 1846, a considerable force was assembled in the 
northern cruising-ground. A still stronger force, composing the 
Home Squadron, was concentrated in the Gulf. The two coasts 
continued during the war to be two distinct bases of operation ; 
but as the Mexicans had no naval force, the operations con- 
sisted mainly in blockade, and in attacks upon the cities along 
the coast. 

Of the officers who held successively the chief command on 
the western coast, Commodore Stockton had the largest share 
of the work. Commodore Sloat, who was in command of the 
station when the war broke out, was there only long enough to 
make a beginning. This he did promptly and well. He had 
with him the frigate " Savannah " as flagship ; the sloops " Ports- 
mouth," ''Warren," "Levant," and " Cyane ; " the schooner 
" Shark ; " and the storeship " Erie." These were all sailing- 
ships. At this time the coast south of the forty-second parallel 



320 • THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of latitude, including the whole of California, belonged to Mexico, 
that parallel having been the boundary of the United States as 
fixed by the treaty of cession of Louisiana in 1803. North 
of this point was the unsettled and hardly-organized territory 
of Oregon. The squadron was therefore without a base of sup- 
plies in the Pacific, and as it took months to communicate with 
Washington, its commander was obliged to act largely on his 
own responsibility. The enemy's coast, including the peninsula 
of lower California, extended over four thousand miles. To 
cover such a range of coast even with steamers would require 
uncommon activity ; and with a force of half a dozen sailing- 
vessels the task was much more difficult. 

Commodore Sloat's instructions of the 24th of June, 1845, 
which were written a year before the war broke out, contained 
these words : — 

" It is the earnest desire of the President to pursue the policy of 
peace ; and he is anxious that you and every part of your squadron should 
be assiduously careful to avoid any act of aggression. Should Mexico, 
however, be resolutely bent on hostilities, you will be mindful to protect 
the persons and interests of citizens of the United States near your 
station ; and should you ascertain beyond a doubt that the Mexican 
Government has declared war against us, you will at once employ the 
forces under your command to the best advantage." 

On the 7th of June, 1846, while at Mazatlan, Commodore 
Sloat received satisfactory information that the Mexican troops 
had crossed the Rio Grande and had attacked the army of 
General Taylor in Texas. At the same time he learned that 
our squadron in the Gulf had put some of the Mexican ports 
under blockade. Of course he had not yet heard of the declara- 



THE WAR AVITH MEXICO. 321 

tiou of war passed on the 12tli of May ; but he knew that 
according to the policy of the administration this meant war, 
and that under his instructions he was to begin oifensive opera- 
tions. Leaving the " Warren " at Mazatlan, he sailed at once 
in the •' Savannah " for Monterey. 

The commodore showed great foresight in striking his first 
blow in California. The country was mostly unexplored, and 
only sparsely inhabited, many of the settlers having come from 
the United States. Its resources were not fully known, but they 
were supposed to be considerable, though nothing was looked 
for like the Eldorado that was afterward discovered. It em- 
braced an immense territory, comprising, besides the State of 
California as its boundaries are fixed to-day, Nevada, Utah, 
New Mexico, Arizona, and part of Colorado. Its position 
pointed it out as the part of Mexico which could most advan- 
tageously be transferred in case of an annexation of territory 
at the end of the war. Annexation would be made much easier 
by an early conquest, and indeed a conquest was in some degree 
necessar}^ to make the ground of cession. It was a vulnerable 
point, because it was garrisoned only by a small force of Mexican 
troops, and it lay too far from the scene of active hostilities to be 
recovered from the x\mericans if they once got full possession. 

The "' Savannah " arrived at Monterey on the 2d of July, and 
found there the " Cyane " and the '' Levant.'' Commodore Sloat 
hastened to demand a surrender from the Mexicans, and upon 
their refusal, two hundred and fifty seamen and marines were 
landed, who took possession of the town without resistance. 
Soon after a proclamation was published declaring that Cali- 
fornia had become a part of the United States. A company 



322 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

of volunteer dragoons was organized among the Americans on 
shore, and preparations were made to seize the neighboring 
towns. 

While this was going on at Monterey, Commander Mont- 
gomery in the '' Portsmouth," which was at Yerba Buena, or 
San Francisco, as it is now called, having received an order 
from the commodore, took like measures to assert the authority 
of the United States. He also organized his military companies, 
and assumed control of all the posts in the neighborhood, — 
Sonoma, Sutter's Fort, and the Presidio. Not far off, in the 
interior, Fremont, a young captain of topographical engineers, 
who was at work upon his duties of surveying, had raised the 
American flag, and at various points he too had taken a nominal 
possession. On the 19th of July he joined Commodore Sloat at 
Monterey. 

With these vigorous preliminary measures the commodore's 
command came to an end. He had been for some time past 
in bad health, and when, late in July, the " Congress " arrived, 
under Commodore Stockton, a younger man and a most brilliant 
officer. Commodore Sloat turned over the command to him. The 
campaign had been opened, and it remained for the new com- 
mander-in-chief to follow up the blows that had been struck. 

At this time the Californian Legislature was in session at 
Los Angeles, the capital of the province, which was defended 
by a body of Mexican troops under General Castro. Commodore 
Stockton at once determined to strike a decisive blow at the 
city. As Los Angeles was not on the sea-coast, and as it was 
defended by a trained army, it required an extraordinary degree 
of boldness and enterprise on the part of the naval commander 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 323 

to resolve to attack it without the aid of regular soldiers. But 
the result only shows how much may be done in case of neces- 
sity by blue-jackets on shore under a capable commander. The 
commodore organized the volunteer dragoons as a battalion of 
mounted riflemen, and ajDpointed Captain Fremont major and 
Lieutenant Gillespie captain. On the day after he took com- 
mand the battalion embarked on board the " Cyane," and next 
day it sailed for San Diego, from which place it was to march 
toward the capital. A few days later Commodore Stockton sailed 
in the " Congress " to San Pedro, a point some distance to the 
northward of San Diego, and only thirty miles from Los Angeles. 
On his way down he landed a garrison at Santa Barbara, an inter- 
mediate port. Arriving at San Pedro he organized a little 
army — a naval brigade, as we should call it now — of three 
hundred and fifty seamen and marines, drilling them daily on 
shore by a rough manual which he devised hastily for the pur- 
pose. For artillery he had some 6-pounders and a 32-pounder 
carronade. 

After a few days' delay, to exercise his men and to give Major 
Fremont time to begin his advance, the commodore set out for 
Los Angeles. His force was only one third of that of the 
enemy, who were strongly intrenched in a fortified camp in the 
valley of the river Mesa. The road from San Pedro contained 
many narrow defiles, which the Mexicans might easily have 
defended ; but, strange to say, they neglected this advantage. 
On his way Stockton was twice called upon to surrender by 
eiivoys from General Castro ; but he talked to them so boldly 
that he succeeded in deceiving them about the actual size of his 
force. Soon they became alarmed at the invasion, and when 



324 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

the Americans arrived at Castro's camp, it was found that the 
general had fled, and that his followers were scattered in all 
directions. On the loth of August the commodore entered Los 
Angeles and took possession of the capital of California. 

Commodore Stockton now set about to organize his conquest, 
and first of all he issued a proclamation declaring California 
a territory of the United States. A tariff of duties was estab- 
lished and collectors were appointed to receive them at the 
different seaports. A constitution was drawn up and put in 
oj)eration, in which the powers and duties of the various 
branches of the government were laid down. Major Fremont 
was appointed governor of the territory, and directions were 
given for elections to be held for civil magistrates, the conquered 
country meanwhile remaining under martial law. 

It had been the commodore's purpose to enlist a force of 
volunteers, and taking them to Mexico, to land at Acapulco 
or some other convenient point, and create a diversion of the 
Mexican army by an invasion from the west coast, and for this 
reason he had installed Fremont as governor ; but circumstances 
soon after compelled him to change his plan, which after all 
was perhaps somewhat visionary. In the month of Sei^tember, 
while he was busily occupied in northern California, a rising 
took place at Los Angeles, under General Flores, and Pico the 
governor, whom the Americans had released on their parole 
at the capture of the city. The garrison left by the commodore 
was driven out and took refuge in San Pedro. Thither Captain 
Mervine was ordered at once in the '' Savannah," and thither 
the "Cono-ress" shortlv followed him. Arrivins^ at San Pedro 
late in October, the commodore found that Captain Mervine 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 325 

had just been defeated by the enemy, who were then besieging 
the little town. The naval brigade was again landed, and pres- 
ently the besieging forces were driven olf . From this time till 
the 1st of January the fleet was occupied with preparations for 
a second and more serious attack upon Los Angeles. The great 
advantage of the enemy was in his cavalry. Every Californian 
was an expert horseman, and the Mexican ponies are trained 
to the severest work. On the other hand the naval brigade, 
as might be expected, was badly off in this essential arm of 
service. Commodore Stockton was a man of bold and original 
mind, but even his mind did not go to the length of forming 
a corps of marine cavalry ; and besides, there were no horses, 
for the Mexicans had taken care to strip the country of ponies 
in the neighborhood of the southern ports. Parties were sent 
out in all directions to obtain them, but with no success. Finally 
Major Fremont was couA^eyed to Monterey with his battalion, 
with the understanding that he should march south by land 
as soon as he had completed his preparations ; but as he was 
delayed from one cause or another, and as Monterey was three 
hundred miles north of Los Angeles, he did not arrive in time 
to take a part in the attack. 

Early in December the force at San Diego was joined by 
Gen. S. W. Kearney, of the army, a brave and devoted officer, 
who, after having seized several points in New Mexico, had 
crossed the mountains from the eastward with a few squadrons 
of dragoons. The Californians met him at San Pasqual, not far 
from San Diego, where they gave him battle and nearly cut 
to pieces his command. The remnant of the force, after their 
gallant struggle, was only saved by the arrival of reinforcements 



326 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

from Commodore Stockton, which escorted the general into 
San Diego. The commodore now generously offered to give 
up the command to General Kearney and to act as his aide. 
Kearney with equal magnanimity declined the offer, and he was 
placed in charge of the land troops for the proposed expedition, 
the commodore retaining the chief command. Preparations were 
completed on the 29th of December, and the little army set out. 
It was indeed a mongrel force, but it was none the less a good 
army for the work in hand. It consisted of sixty dismounted 
dragoons who had come with General Kearney ; sixty mounted 
riflemen of the California battalion ; five hundred seamen and 
marines from the '• Congress," " Savannah," " Portsmouth," and 
'• Cyane ; " and six pieces of artillery. The force was poorly 
armed, many of the sailors having only boarding-pikes and 
pistols, and the cavalry were badly mounted. 

After a march of one hundred and forty miles, lasting ten 
days, the Americans, on the 8th of January, came upon the 
enemy strongly posted on the heights of San Gabriel, with six 
hundred mounted men and four pieces of artillery, commanding 
the ford of the river. In a position where an officer with 
a soldier's training would perhaps have hesitated. Commodore 
Stockton's confidence and resolution influenced him to advance. 
He forded the river under the enemy's guns without firing 
a shot, dragged his guns through the water, and formed his 
men in squares on the opposite bank. Here he repelled an 
attack of the enemy, and after a stubborn conflict carried the 
heights by a charge. Next da}', on the march across the plains 
of the Mesa, the Mexicans made another desperate effort to save 
the capital. They had a strong position, being concealed with 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 327 

their artillery in a ravine till the commodore came within gun- 
shot ; then they opened a brisk fire on his flank, at the same 
time charging him both in front and rear. The squares of blue- 
jackets coolly and steadily withstood the cavalry charge, and 
the enemy, after being twice repulsed, were finally driven ofl' 
the field and dispersed. Immediately after the battle Commo- 
dore Stockton entered the city of Los Angeles, and for the 
second and last time California was conquered. 

The object of the Government was now accomplished. When 
the time came to settle the conditions of peace, the territory 
of the United States was increased by this immense district, 
comprising over 650,000 square miles, and by far the largest 
part of the work had been done by Stockton and his naval 
brigade. 

Soon after these events Commodore Shubrick came out in the 
" Independence " to take command of the station. He was 
followed by the " Lexington " with a detachment of troops 
belonging to the regular artillery. These were landed at the 
important points in California and left to garrison them, and 
the fleet could now turn its attention to the coast of Mexico, 
where visrorous demonstrations were soon after made. Mazatlan, 
the principal seaport of Mexico in the Pacific, was captured 
by a landing force of six hundred men from the fleet. Its 
garrison retreated, and the victorious Americans held the 
towm until the end of the war, collecting duties at the custom- 
house, which went far to defray the cost of maintaining the 
squadron. 

Other towns were taken, some of them several times over. 
At Guaymas and Muleje attacks were made by the " Dale," 



328 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

under Commander Selfridge. After defeating the Mexican chief 
Pineda, whose band of guerillas infested the country about 
MuleJGj Captain Selfridge obtained a schooner, and stationed 
her there under Lieutenant Craven to blockade the port. At 
Guaymas a force was landed, and a severe fight took place 
with the Mexicans, in which Selfridge was wounded. Though 
the force of the " Dale " was too small to leave a garrison on 
shore, she remained off the town and made it untenable for the 
enemy. 

At San Jose, at the extremity of Lower California, a post 
was established on shore in an old mission-house, which was gar- 
risoned by fifty-seven men, — seamen, marines, and volunteers, 
— under Lieutenant Hey wood. It was attacked in November, 
1847, but the Mexicans failed in their attempt to carry the place 
by assault. The town had been deserted, and fifty or more 
women and children had taken refuge in the mission-house. In 
February the attack was renewed by a large force of Mexicans. 
Not wishing to risk an assault, they occupied the houses about 
the mission and laid siege to the post. Twice Lieutenant Hey- 
wood made a sortie with his gallant little force and drove them 
from their position ; but they recovered their ground as soon 
as he returned. The situation was now becoming critical, for 
the supplies of the garrison began to fall short, and the fugitives 
under their protection shared their rations. At last they could 
not even get water ; for with the close watch maintained by the 
enemy, any man who ventured out was shot down. The siege 
had lasted ten days, and the garrison would presently have been 
starved into surrender, when by a fortunate chance the '' Cyane " 
came into the harbor. Commander Dupont, who was in com- 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 329 

mand, immediately landed a force from his ship and raised the 
siege, bringing oli" the heroic garrison in safety. This was the 
last affair of importance on the west coast. 



'^Q^^M^W^^ 



In the Gulf the outbreak of the war had found a large 
squadron already assembled. There were three fifty-gun frig- 
ates and half a dozen sloops and brigs. There were also two 
steamers, the first that the United States had used in war, — the 
large paddle-wheel vessel "Mississippi," and the " Princeton," 
which had gained a melancholy notoriety from the bursting 
of one of her guns while on an experimental trip in the Potomac, 
by which the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Navy, 
and other high officers of the Government had lost their lives. 
The vessels, however, were all too large for the service. The 
Mexican coast is a long stretch of sand exposed to the sudden and 
tempestuous " northers," as they are called, — furious northerly 
gales which blow frequently in the Gulf. The important sea- 
coast towns lie mostly in deep bights or recesses at the mouths 
of rivers, sometimes two or three miles up, with a bar having 
but ten feet of water, and currents that render difficult the 
pilotage of sailing-vessels. Vera Cruz, a large town with strong 
fortifications, was an exception, for its harbor was deep and 
accessible. The other points of importance — Tuspan, Tampico, 
Alvarado, and Tabasco, the last of which lay some distance 
up the Tabasco River — were partially protected by earthworks, 



330 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

but their principal safeguard lay in the difficulties of a shallow 
and frequently shifting entrance. 

The headquarters of the squadron were fixed at Anton Lizardo, 
a harbor formed by a group of small barren islands a few miles 
south of Vera Cruz. A blockade was declared and maintained 
by vessels stationed off the ports or cruising up and down the 
coast. In the course of the first summer the squadron was 
reinforced by four sloops and brigs ; and, what was of much more 
importance, by two steam gunboats, the " Vixen " and " Spit- 
fire," each of which carried an 8-inch gun and two lighter guns. 
These were the ideal vessels for service on the Mexican coast, 
with their heavy gun and their light draught, — only seven feet ; 
and it is a curious fact that one of them, the " Vixen," was 
actually designed and under construction for the Mexican Gov- 
ernment in New York when she was purchased b}^ our own. 
Other steamers were added later, one of them a revenue cutter ; 
and a number of gunboat schooners were also sent down to the 
station. The peculiar dangers and difficulties of the coast were 
seen in two catastrophes that befell the squadron during the sum- 
mer. The brig " Truxtun," attempting to move against Tuspan, 
grounded on the bar in the river, where it was necessary to 
abandon her, and where the Mexicans left her after carrying off 
her guns ; while another brig, the " Somers," was sunk with 
half her crew in a ^^ norther " which came down on her without 
warning. Among the saved was her captain, Raphael Semmes, 
the future commander of the " Alabama." 

The first eight months of the war on the east coast, while the 
squadron was under the command of Commodore Conner, were 
not marked by any great success. In August an attempt was 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. Sol 

made to capture Alvarado, thirty miles southeast of Vera Cruz. 
The large ships anchored, off the bar, with the gunboats close 
ill, engaging the batteries during the afternoon and evening, 
and a boat expedition was organized to attack in the morning ; 
but when the morning came, the fleet was called off on account 
of threatening weather. In October the attempt was renewed, 
but with no better success. This time the gunboats were 
arranged in two divisions, each in tow of a steamer. After 
the first division had worked safely in, the towing steamer 
of the second grounded on the bar, and the schooners ni tow got 
foul, and the van was left unsupported. This check was enough 
to decide the commodore against prosecuting the attack ; the van 
was recalled, the grounded steamer got afloat, and the squadron 
sailed away a second time from Alvarado. 

In November the fleet made an important capture, — the sea- 
port of Tampico. Great preparations were made for the expe- 
dition, the force despatched consisting of the two principal 
frigates, — the steamers "Mississippi" and "Princeton," — the 
sloop " St. Mary's," and a large fleet of gunboats. The gunboats, 
with the boats from the large ships, were safely towed over the 
bar and appeared before the city. The authorities thereupon 
surrendered without any resistance. The city was occupied, and 
a military government w^as established, which continued to the 
end of the war. 

Meanwhile another commodore had joined the squadron, — 
Matthew Calbraith Perry, an officer whose reputation was sec- 
ond to that of no one of his time in the service. At first Com- 
modore Perry was chiefly employed in detached enterprises. His 
first important success was an expedition in October against 



332 THE HOYS OF 1812. 

Tabasco, a town lying seventy miles up the Tabasco River. 
Leaving the " Mississippi " outside, he entered the river in the 
" Vixen," and after having seized the shipping at Frontera. 
near the mouth of tlie river, the expedition proceeded up to 
Tabasco. At its approach the enemy abandoned the fort, but 
the Mexican commander, occupying the town with his troops, 
refused' to surrender. Fire was opened on the town, but the 
commodore presently desisted from his bombardment, at the 
entreaties of the foreign merchants who owned most of the prop- 
erty. Nothing could be gained by laying the town in ruins ; 
and after a scattering fight on shore the troops were re- 
embarked, and the flotilla returned, leaving two vessels at the 
entrance to continue the blockade. The expedition had taken 
nine prizes and destroyed four more, and had broken up the 
contraband trade in the river. 

In December Commodore Perry .commanded an expedition 
against Laguna, in Yucatan. Yucatan was an uncertain friend, 
with a disposition to become an annoying enemy by supplying 
the Mexicans with arms and munitions of war from British 
Honduras and other points. Perry therefore occupied Laguna, 
and installed Commander Sands in charge of the post as a 
temporary governor. 

The Government had now decided that it would be wise to 
change the plan of campaign which had so far been followed 
in the war. General Taylor's army, which had invaded Mexico 
from the Rio Grande, though it was victorious at Monterey, and 
later at Buena Vista, could hardly hope to penetrate into the 
heart of the country without great loss of time, troops, and 
money. It was resolved to take a shorter route to the interior 



THE WAR WJTH MEXICO. 333 

cand so decide the war. General Scott* was to command the 
army of invasion, and Vera Cruz was the point selected for the 
beginning of its march. By the middle of February the trans- 
ports containing General Scott's army began to rendezvous at 
the island of Lobos, and storeships to arrive at Anton Lizardo 
with materials for the expedition, including sixty-seven surf- 
boats in which the troops were to be landed. The preparation 
for the landing was made by the squadron, still under Commo- 
dore Conner's command, with such despatch and thoroughness 
that though General Scott and his staff only arrived on the 
6th * of March, on the 9tli the army was disembarked. Early 
on the morning of this day the men-of-war, with the troops on 
board, sailed from their anchorage to Sacrificios, an island just 
south of Vera Cruz, and by ten o'clock that night the whole 
body of twelve thousand men had been landed without mishap 
or loss. 

No opposition was made to the landing, though the position 
offered great advantages for defence. A line of investment five 
miles in length was drawn about the city, and the erection of 
batteries was begun at once, the naval forces being still employed 
in landing munitions of war. By the 22d some of the batteries 
were ready, and the city having refused to surrender, General 
Scott opened the bombardment. 

On the day before the attack began, Commodore Conner, 
who had long been in bad health, and who would have done 
more wisely to give up the command before, was relieved by 
Commodore Perry. As the heavy guns provided by the army 
for the siege — the battering train — had not arrived, the army 
had only its mortars and a few light guns. These had no effect 



334 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

upon the walls and bastions of the city, and General Scott sug- 
gested to Commodore Perry that he should land some of the 
heavy cannon from the ships. Perry answered that he would 
land the guns, and moreover that he would fight them. Six 
heavy guns, each weighing three tons, were landed, and, drawn 
by two hundred seamen and volunteers, they were moved during 
the night of the 23d three miles from the landing-place to their 
position in battery, seven hundred yards from the city wall. On 
the morning of the 24th they opened, and immediately draw- 
ing upon themselves the concentrated fire of the fortifications, 
they did more real execution than all the batteries which had 
been hitherto engaged. 

The Mosquito fleet, as it was called, seconded the shore bat- 
teries in the bombardment. This was a detachment of vessels 
composed of the steamers '' Spitfire " and " Vixen," and the five 
sailing gunboats, and commanded by Commodore TattnpJl, a 
very gallant officer, in the " Spitfire." On the first day the 
flotilla lay off Point Hornos, and at three in the afternoon, when 
the bombardmeht began, it opened upon the city, continuing 
the fire till night. The next day, leaving one of his schooners 
at the anchorage as a blind. Commander Tattnall took out 
the six other vessels, the steamers having the gunboats in tow, 
as if to rejoin the squadron. As soon as he had cleared the 
point he turned and steamed up to within eight hundred yards 
of Fort San Juan d'Ulloa, and directly between it and Fort 
St. Jago. From this position Tattnall discharged a heavy fire 
into the city. As soon as the forts recovered from their surprise 
they opened a concentrated fire upon the audacious flotilla, 
which nevertheless kept at its post until Perry, fearing that 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 335 

all the vessels would be lost, recalled them by signal. It was 
a splendid sight to see Tattnall with his little vessels, without 
protection, — for there were no ironclads in those days, — hold- 
ing his perilous position under the fire of the great forts, with 
his crews loading and firing as coolly as if their work were but 
pastime. As the surgeon stood for a moment on the deck 
of the " Spitfire," Tattnall paused in his work to say, " Ah, doc- 
tor, this may not make life longer, but it makes it a great deal 
broader! " 

The bombardment by the batteries on shore lasted four days, 
during which the unprotected inhabitants of the city were the 
chief sufferers ; for the strong castle of San Juan d'Ulloa, in its 
secure position on a reef to the northward, was hardly injured at 
all. But perhaps there is.no more effective method of reducing 
a town than by the sufferings of its inhabitants, cruel as the 
-method is ; and on the 26th of March negotiations were opened 
by the besieged, which were concluded the next day by the sign- 
ing of. a capitulation including both the town and the castle. 

On the day after the surrender of Vera Cruz an expedition 
was planned for the third time against Alvarado. Extensive 
preparations had been made, and a brigade from the army under 
General Quitman was detailed to co-operate by land. The enter- 
prise had a truly singular ending. Commodore Perry had sent 
the sloop-of-war " Albany " and the small steamer " Scourge " 
as an advance force to lie off the bar of the river and recon- 
noitre. The '' Scourge," commanded by Lieutenant Hunter, 
arriving before the " Albany," stood close in to the land, abreast 
of the outer fort, and seeing indications of flinching, fired a 
few shot into it. The fort, having no intention of resistance 



336 THE BOYS OF 1812. 

after the fall of Vera Cruz, and understanding the fire as a sum- 
mons to yield, sent a boat to the " Scourge " with an officer, 
who tendered a surrender. Upon this, Lieutenant Hunter threw 
a midshipman and five men into the fort, and pushing on 
to the town took possession of it, as well as of another town 
near by, and after capturing all the shipping, held his course 
up the river. When Commodore Perry arrived with his fleet 
and General Quitman with his brigade, they found the capture, 
for which they had made such large preparations, already 
effected, and the place was turned over to them by the mid- 
shipman in charge. Lieutenant Hunter was still up the river, 
where he could be heard firing this way and that in his career 
of conquest. It was stated that one of the secondary objects 
of the expedition, the capture of supplies, was partly defeated 
by this premature action. The commander-in-chief commented 
with extreme severity upon Lieutenant Hunter in his report, 
and caused him to be court-martialled, which seemed rather 
hard, as he had onty erred through excess of zeal. 

Commodore Perry next resolved to attack Tuspan, a town 
about one hundred miles northwest of Vera Cruz. It was the 
only point of importance on the coast remaining in the enemy's 
hands. The squadron, which was now well equipped for ser- 
vice, rendezvoused at Lobos, off the mouth of the Tuspan River. 
Two days were spent here in organizing landing-parties and 
practising field exercises with a battery of light artillery which 
the commodore had organized. With the thoroughness that 
marked all his preparations. Perry spent another day in sound- 
ing on the bar and buoying the channel. At length all was 
ready, and on the 18th of April the attack was made. The 



THE WAR WITH MEXICO. 337 

flotilla was in three lines, each in tow of a steamer, the com- 
modore leading in the " Spitfire." Besides the gunboats and 
steamers there were thirty barges, each containing a detachment 
from the ships. The river, about three hundred yards wide, 
w^as defended by three forts, enfilading the reaches of the 
stream and mounting seven guns, most of which had been 
taken from the " Truxtun " when she was lost on the bar 
of Tuspan the year before. The enemy were stationed as 
sharpshooters in the thick chapparal on the banks. As soon 
as the boats came within range, a hot fire of grape was opened 
on them from the forts. The detachment from the " German- 
town," under Commander Buchanan, — an officer of whom we 
shall hear more in the later war, — was first in the advance, 
and was ordered to storm the nearest fort. This was s:allantlv 
done, and the enemy were driven out. The second and third 
forts were carried in the same way by storming-parties, the 
river-banks were cleared of their concealed sharpshooters, and 
before evening the town was in possession of the Americans. 

In June a similar expedition was sent against Tabasco, which 
Commodore Perry had attacked successfully the year before, 
but which was again a centre of detached operations by Mexi- 
can guerillas. As at Tuspan, the details of the enterprise were 
prepared beforehand with the utmost care and skill; every con- 
tingency was provided for, and the machinery ran as smoothly 
as clock-work. The enemy were driven off, their forts destroyed, 
their stores removed, and to provide against a recurrence of 
operations, a force was left to occupy the place. 

This was the last enterprise of importance in the naval war. 
The army was now fighting its way to the city of Mexico, 



338 



THE BOYS OF 1812. 



but the coast was entirely reduced. At all the important ports 
the blockade had been converted into an occupation, and a mil- 
itary government under officers of the squadron had been 
established. The custom-houses were placed in charge of naval 
officers, a tariff was laid, and duties were collected in the 
name of the Government. So matters remained until the end 
of the war. 




CniTersity Press : John Wilson & Son, Cambridge. 



